All Barriers Broken
by Yellow-Eco-Sage
Summary: Ludwig is a transfer student at Hetalia High, and slowly finds himself falling in love with Feliciano. And with Feli ranting on about "Holy Roman Empire", it just makes the situation even worse. Espcially when Ludwig is about to lose control. GerIta.
1. Chapter 1: Meeting Disaster

So, my friend is Italian, I'm German…a lot of irony going on there…This fic relates to some of the things I was going through earlier in the school year, so obviously a lot of drama's going to be going on in this thing.

Summary: Ludwig is a transfer student at Hetalia High School, and finds himself slowly falling in love with Feliciano. But, he just can't admit it to the rest of the world, even when Gilbert taunts him about it constantly. And with Feliciano blabbing on constantly about his old friend, Holy Roman Empire, it just makes the situation 10 times worse. Especially when that little Italian is annoying you to the point when you just can't take it anymore.

This is my first Hetalia fic that I've actually put on FanFiction, all the others are still in progress. Takes place in high school. Contains fluffy GerIta fluffiness, mild angst (In the later chapters.), and a whole lot of denial! Enjoy and R&R!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Axis Powers: Hetalia**

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><p>The only thing worse about the horrors of being taunted constantly by the people around mefrom being a transfer student my junior year in high school was staring into the dark pools of Feliciano's sweet amber eyes.<p>

Melting; falling into gorgeous bliss of bittersweet chocolate as it slowly dissolved my stone heart into a pile of useless goo. And that smile…that beautiful smile that he always seemed to show; it could light up even the darkest room if it wanted to! That's just how he was.

I never meant for any of it to ever happen, it just kind of happened on its own. But that year I found myself slowly falling more and more for the little Italian each and every day I had to put up with him. Sure, he was obviously a pain, clinging to me like a leech and relying on me for _everything_; not to mention the annoyance of him I had to deal with, but even with that, it was almost as if I found it all…_attractive?_

I couldn't put my finger on the word at the moment, but all I knew was I was slowly falling deeper and deeper into his little trap. Being the tough German I am, it wasn't like me to have many feelings for anyone, especially not another _male. _That was why the reason was such a big problem.

It wasn't like it was his fault or anything, but every day, I inched towards the bottom of that cruel abyss, and faced the pains of falling deeper and deeper in love. And with hard denial, it had finally occurred to me that that one true love had been in front of me the entire time.

A crisp gust of wind brushed against my face as I stood out in the open parking lot of Hetalia High School. It was that time of the year again: August, the time where all of us are forced to return back to that torture teachers call "school".

And to make the situation even worse, my brother, Gilbert, and I had recently transferred from Europe to the US, and things had already started rocky. With an accent as thick as mine, it was difficult not to get teased every once in a while; not to mention the constant nicknames people threw at me like "Hitler" and "Nazi".

I took in the brisk morning air, letting it dance across my body and cool of my warm face. I slowly shut my eyes, letting a small second of peace and tranquility pass through the moment. Everything seemed so serene, with evergreen trees blowing rhythmically with the wind, and the bright colors of pink, orange, and purple splashing against the horizon. It seemed almost…perfect.

That is, until I felt a sudden tap on my shoulder shoot my body stiff. I spun around, only to see a cheerful auburn-haired boy looking straight at my. Seeing the deep hidden in my eyes, his chocolate orbs immediately grew frightened. Looking at my dense expression, he become suddenly timd.

"Oh I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you like that." He said sheepishly, fiddling with his thumbs, a single tear developing in his left eye. Is Italian accent was thick, and I figured that was what he was: Italian.

I waved my hand. "No, no, you're perfectly alright." I said casually, feeling the slightest bit of sympathy for the boy. He was slightly short than me, and just by seeing his sensitivity, I figured he had to be a freshman trying to make friends.

The teen's dark eyes immediately began to lighten up, as a bright smile plastered across his face.

He took my hand, shaking it violently. "_Perfecto! _I'm Feliciano Vargas, and I'm a junior here at Hetalia High! I've never seen you before, are you new?" He asked me, his oddly high-pitched voice going even higher.

Suddenly, I didn't know why, but it felt as if my face had slowly began to heat up. I most certainly felt _something_ warm contrast with the cool breeze, but I figured it was all just in my head. Or maybe I was possibly just nervous. There was no possible way I could be blushing at _him_, right? I was Ludwig, and Ludwig's don't blush, especially not someone as burly as I was.

I cleared my throat. "I'm Ludwig; I've just moved here from Germany with my brother. I'm a junior, as well."

Feliciano let out a small ve~, and began to bounce in place, gripping onto my hands. "That's wonderful; I can show you around the school!" He exclaimed, eyes glistening in the sunlight.

I released his hands, putting my hand behind my back. I shifted my eyes toward the ground, away from his sparkling chocolate orbs.

"I-I don't know, I bet I could find my way around the school with no trouble." I said, trying my best not to stutter.

"Ve~, but I _want_ to show you around the school, Ludwig! I want to get to know you better!" The Italian insisted, grabbing hold of my hand once more. He pulled across the parking lot, leading me into the unfamiliar school.

My face began to grow flushed, watching him as he flashed that bubbly smile, fluttering his eyelashes over those pretty brown eyes. He giggled like a little schoolgirl as he ran; letting out small ve~'s occasionally. My heart beat increased rapidly in my chest, pounding against it vigorously like a drum. It felt as if my stomach had twisted into a giant knot, sending a wave of nausea through my body.

Wait, what was I saying? It's not like I actually had _feelings_ for Feliciano! We had just met, and I most certainly would _not _love another male! Absolutely not!

I pressed my free hand against my face, feeling the dusted pink as it spread across my face. Why _was _I blushing? It was so rare for me to ever feel this way, and I had no idea why it was effecting my like this.

Trying to find my words caught in the back of my throat, I finally stuttered out a question to him. "W-Why did you even c-come up to my in the f-first place?" I asked, mentally facepalming at the thought of my clumsiness.

Feliciano turned to me, his bewildered expression immediately turning bubbly. "Oh, well I just wanted to say that I think you have very pretty eyes!" He admitted, light pink tinting the tip of his nose and ears.

As he turned back around, I couldn't tell or not if he had seen the crimson stained onto my face crank up a hundred shades darker, or feel as my heart-of-stone slowly began to grow wings and flutter inside my chest.

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><p>I didn't realize it at first, but Germany is really OOC in this chapter. Sorry 'bout that, I'm just really used to writing USUK stuff. Sorry if this chapter is really short and stuff, normally the first chapter is always the shortest. I promise the other chapters will be longer. Hopefully I'll be able to get out chapter 2 soon, but I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to do any writing. Until then, enjoy the rest of your lives!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: Oblivious

Yay for chapter 2! I'm surprised I'm actually getting this chapter done. I really need to work on The Secret of Angela, since I haven't in a while and my reviewers will kill me if I don't update soon, but I figured I could hold off on it for just one night. Plus, I've felt really crappy lately thanks to school drama and stuff, so I haven't had much time to think. Anyway, enjoy and R&R!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Axis Powers: Hetalia.**

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><p>Feliciano led me past the hordes of people crowding the halls of Hetalia High. A lot of them began to stare, raising eyebrows as they gazed down at our intertwined hands and my scarlet face.<p>

As much of the strangely-felt joy I had around the Italian, it still felt rather awkward getting the intense stare-downs from people I didn't even know.

I gently tapped him on the shoulder with my free hand. "Feliciano, don't you think this is a little…weird, with all these people staring at us. N-Not that I don't mind it, heh heh, it's j-just…you know, n-never mind…" I asked, stuttering like an idiot as my face flared up.

Scarlet turned crimson as he gazed back at him, flashing that sweet smile once more as I melted into his amber orbs.

"Ve~, it's ok, Ludwig! They're just staring because they don't know you yet!" He said, oblivious to what their _actual_ reason was.

_He's so naïve. _I thought to myself, shifting my eyes as cerulean and chocolate met. Feeling the immense blush that still covered my face, I immediately turned away. _But why does he have to be so…beautiful?_

No! Why was I doing it again? I was saying such things about somebody I had only just met? It wasn't like I was homosexual! I did not love Feliciano! I did not love Feliciano! I did not love Feliciano!

The auburn Italian placed his hand against my forehead, a sense of worry flooding his body. "Ve~, are you feeling well, Ludwig? Your face is so flushed. Oh no, please don't tell me your sick!" He asked, tears welling up in his eyes, the brown hue of them sparkling.

The comment only made my face heat up even more, and I tried my best to cover up any other signs of blush.

"Um, no I-I'm not sick. I-It's just r-really hot in here, is all." I replied, mentally facepalming again at my stuttering,

Feliciano smiled. "Oh, well if you're so hot, why don't you take your jacket off? Well, n-not like that, I mean…that just came out wrong. If it's so hot in _here_, why not take the jacket off?"

Light pink sprinkled across his cheeks as he pulled off the green jacket that lay over my black T-shirt. It felt as if my face was on fire, and I could hear the beating of my heart pounding vigorously against my eardrums.

He tied it around his neck, pulling my schedule out of the pocket. "Ve~, that's go find your locker!" He said, taking my hand once more, and pulling me towards the endless isle of lockers.

What was going on? Why was I feeling this way? The blush on my face hadn't gone down any less from the time he had first grabbed hold of my hand, and every time I looked into the dark chocolate that was his eyes, it didn't help my case.

Most of all, though, why was _he _acting so strange all of a sudden? I figured he was just being nice, and his happy-go-lucky personality made it so that I couldn't tell whether or not he was doing it because he had feelings for me. Then again, why did I _care_ if he had feelings for me?

_I do not love Feliciano! I do not love Feliciano! I do not love Feliciano!_

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><p>My flared face had finally cooled down by the time Feliciano had led me to my new locker. He had finally let go of my hand, giving me time to reduce the blush, and put my fluttering heart back in its normal place. Although even with that, those dark eyes still mesmerized me in the most explainable way.<p>

But, the confusion and increasing question had continued to rise. I still couldn't place my finger on why I was acting and think the way I was. I was strong; a man of stone with a heart in impenetrable nothing could break through it. Yet for some reason, it seemed as if seeing the Italian only made it soften into a pile of gooey nothingness.

It was almost as if Feliciano had put a spell on me; one that was completely impossible to erase of get out of. But, I was still having quite a difficult time even realizing what that spell was.

I set my backpack on the ground, slowly putting in the combination of my locker. I wasn't used to a locker like this, for the ones we had had back in Germany were so different. I struggled, putting it for the 3rd time with still no luck.

Kicking the locker, I sighed in defeat, my hand still on the lock.

A light bulb seemed to go off over Feliciano's head, as he grabbed hold of my hand once more. His cold touch sent a chill spiraling down my spine. His hand was soft; baby-like, a sensation flowing through my body that was impossible to ever explain. But why did it seem so familiar?

_Not this again…_ I mumbled in my head, blushing furiously.

"Like this." He said, turning my hands to the correct combinations and directions.

I turned to him, watching as his bright smile lit up the room, and how his eyelashes seemed to dance over those amber orbs.

Those words…I recognized them so much, yet I couldn't place my finger on where I had heard them before.

The bubbly Italian turned to me, an expression of bewilderedness spreading across his face. "Ve~, what are you staring at, Ludwig?" He asked, tipping his head slightly to the side.

I placed my hand behind my back, my face burning as my eyes shifted to the floor.

"Oh, I-I was just…s-staring off into space, is all." I said.

_Now why did I find that strangely…cute? _I thought to myself, questioning my actions. _No! Snap out of it, Ludwig! I do not love Feliciano! I do not love Feliciano! I do not love Feliciano!_

"Oh, well that's ok; at least we got your locker open! Ve~, we better get going if we want to get to class on time. What's your first class?" Feliciano asked, turning happy in a split second.

I pulled out my schedule from the pocket of my green cargo pants, straightening out the crinkled piece of paper as I scanned it.

"Health." I replied, sighing hard. Back in Germany, health was my worst subject, and I hated it with such a passion nothing could ever come before it. Gilbert hated it as well; actually, he hated _every _subject, but nobody had such a hatred for it as me.

The teen's face immediately lit up, as he began to bounce up and down like a little child.

"I have health first, too! That means we'll be in the same class together!" He cried, his soft smile stretching out into a huge grin across his face.

It seemed as if my heart skipped a beat, and my stomach began to twist into knots. Feliciano…first hour…just being with him for one second was enough to make me feel a sense of comfort.

_I'm doing it again…_

Just when I thought I could finally relax and let out a sigh of relief and happiness, he pulled me along once more towards the unknown.

This time, still blushing madly, I sighed.

_Now why does he keep doing this?_

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><p>I had spent about five more minutes with Feliciano as he led the way to our health class. The color of my face had finally gone back to its normal pale color, yet my heart continued to pound rapidly in my chest.<p>

It was for two reasons, though.1: The anxiety that was rising within me. 2: Feliciano and his stupid gorgeous eyes.

I could tell I was nervous as we stood outside the door of the classroom, for my legs had begun to wobble, and felt as if they were about to give out. Being as anxious as I was wasn't normal for me, since I could stand through almost anything, but I felt it was only healthy for anyone to at least be the slightest bit nervous on the first day at a new school.

And Feliciano…well, it was hard to explain _why_ I was feeling the way I was. Heck, I didn't even_ know _why I was acting the way I was; _still_! He had such a bubbly sweet face with a bright smile that never seemed to fade; and he just always seemed to be happy every hour of the day. That is, unless I felt differently. The only thing that ever-so-slightly got on my nerves was that annoying high-pitch voice and that strong Italian accent. But those eyes…those beautiful, dark amber eyes…I couldn't help but help into them every time I saw them; with blue and brown mixing together in a spiral.

Crap, I was doing it _again_! I had to stop think such things about him! The problem? I just couldn't seem to get him out of my mind.

The red-haired Italian turned to me, a gentle smile placed neatly on his face. "Ready to go inside, Ludwig?" He asked me. Looking at the door once more, I let out a hard sigh, and gave him a faint nod. "Great!"

Feliciano pulled on the handle of the door, revealing ourselves to what seemed like a thousand eyes staring back at us.

I gulped hard as the teacher, a fairly young man, stopped what he was doing and turned to us. His hair was a little darker than Feliciano's, yet their eye color was the exact same, along with having similar hair curls. It looked as if he was wearing some kind of ancient armor, and…was that a skirt he was wearing?

"Why are you late, Feliciano?" He asked gently, his accent just as strong as the teen's next to me.

"Ve~ I'm so sorry, Grandpa Rome! I was just showing Ludwig around the school; he's new!" Feliciano cried, his eyes beginning to water.

_So _that's _why they looked so familiar; they're related! _I thought, nodding to back up the worried Italian.

Grandpa Rome only chuckled. "Oh, well if that's the case, then you're alright! Go take a seat, now. And hello Ludwig, I'm Mr. Rome, your health teacher! Would you mind introducing yourself to the case?"

"Crap." I mumbled under my breath as Feliciano took a seat near the right hand side of the room.

A light pink dusted my face as I stood in front of the thousands of eyes staring at me. It felt like my stomach had gone up to my throat, and my palms had begun to sweat.

"Hello, my name is Ludwig; and I just moved here from Germany." I mumbled, shifting my eyes towards the door.

A couple of snickers could be heard from the back of the room, the majority of them coming from a boy sitting in the back of the room, feet rested on the chair in front of him. His hair, like Feliciano's grandpa, was a little bit darker than Feliciano's, along with an identical hair curl in the middle of his parted hair. His eyes were dark and cold; like dangerous poison, only worse.

I assumed the two to be brothers.

"Thank you, Ludwig. There's an open seat next to Lovino over there; Lovino, raise your hand please." Mr. Rome said.

The same boy that had snickered at me raised his hand lazily, giving me a burning glare in the process.

I nodded slightly, shuffling my feet to the back of the room. Feliciano waved at me as I passed by, that bright smile and sweet face causing my cheeks to turn rosy.

I took the seat next the irritated Italian, who was still glaring at me.

"Um, is there something wrong?" I whispered, cocking an eyebrow at him.

Lovino sneered, his glare only getting deeper and more intense. His eyes were like fire, so strong and powerful; it felt as if they were burning a hole through my skull.

"Why were you with my brother?" He spat, scowling.

"He was just showing me around, since I'm kind of just moved here, you know. We're just friends" I replied, anger bubbling within me as my eyes turned icy.

Feliciano's brother squinted his eyes, taking a good, hard look at me before speaking. "Yeah? If that's all, then why are you blushing like mad?"

I felt my face go scarlet as I pressed my cold hand against my face, heat contrasting with it. Did he really think I…no, no, no; never! I had told myself repeatedly that I would _never_, under _any circumstances_, fall in love with Feliciano. Did Lovino _actually _think we were…together? The blushing I knew I couldn't help, but seriously, I was straight; straight as a pin! We would never have feelings for each other! But, even after all that convincing I did that I didn't have a crush on the auburn-haired teen still made me think to myself if we would ever become something more. After all, he was very concerned for me…

"Mein Gott, Lovino; I can't believe you would actually believe that Feliciano were a couple! We just met! Seriously, only a _fool _would think something like that!" I argued, my face growing redder with every word that slipped out of my mouth.

The Italian grunted, crossing his arms as he mumbled something under his breath.

When Mr. Rome had his back turned to the class as he wrote something on the whiteboard, Lovino moved his chair over, getting only inches to my face, a vicious scowl planted onto his face.

"Listen to me, potato freak; if you get anywhere _near_ my brother, I will pound your face into dust; you got it?" He whispered sternly, his dark eyes impossible to escape.

Instead of nodding, I only glared back, pushing him and his chair back to their original spot.

It was funny though, it came to me that the two brothers had the exact same eyes, but there was something about Feliciano's that I found so much more gorgeous.

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><p>Wow, have I been busy trying to get this chapter done! I'm really sorry it's kind of late, but FF was also being stupid, and wouldn't let me upload anything. I will admit, although it's longer, the first chapter was a little better. I was kind of in a rush to get it done, so sorry about that! I promise to add PrussiaGilbert in the next chapter, and if I don't then chapter after that. I meant to put him in this one, but it turned out as Romano. If I don't update for a while, I'm really sorry, but I do really need to focus on my two other fics, as well. The Secret of Angela I haven't updated in over two weeks, and Apocalypse of An Empire I haven't even posted yet! Bear with me, though, and I promise I'll get chapter 3 out soon!


	3. Chapter 3: Wonder and Lunch

Wow, I just now realized that in my description, I accidently called HRE HRE…oops, that's going to get a little confusing…since Holy Rome's name is never actually mentioned (Probably to prevent spoilers. Yes, I support the theory too.), I'm just going to call him Holy Roman Empire. Sorry 'bout that, when I first got the idea for the story, I was using everybody's country names, and I guess I forgot to change HRE's. Ok, enough with my rant, here's the chapter 3 you've been waiting for! Enjoy and R&R!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Axis Powers: Hetalia**

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><p>The next couple of hours seemed to fly by as quickly as I had wanted them to. Health began to grow more awkward and uncomfortable as time passed, as Lovino hadn't stopped glaring at me the entire time, and physics was…well, physics.<p>

Yet even without Feliciano in that class, getting him to leave the back of my mind wassomething I found strangely difficult to do. I didn't even know _why_ he was resting my mind, and the fact that I didn't know and he was _still_ there made the situation even worse.

His chocolate eyes seemed to dance across my mind as I remembered his warm smile and bouncing hair as he led me to our health class. And I just didn't know _why. _I wasn't in denial, I wasn't homosexual, so there was no possible explanation for it!

But the only thing that could ever possibly beat out the little Italian from my mind was what Lovino had said to me earlier that morning.

_If you get anywhere _near_ my brother, I will pound your face into dust._

It seemed like a broken record that played in my mind over and over again, and somehow, it bothered the crap out of me. Being away from Feliciano for an hour from having different classes certainly brought my hopes down, but having to stay away from him by force by Lovino was enough to completely tear me apart.

_No! Bad Ludwig, bad! Stop saying these things; stop thinking about him! I do not love Feliciano! I do not love! I do not love Feliciano!_ I thought, literally smacking my forehead to erase him from my mind as I walked down the hall to the next class I had. A small tap suddenly pressed against my shoulder, and I spun around only to see a worried Feliciano looking straight at me.

He seemed concerned; fiddling with his thumbs with a single tear welled up in his eye.

"Ve~, why are you hitting yourself, Ludwig? Are you ok?" He asked frantically, the tip of his nose turning scarlet.

As brown and blue met, I felt go suddenly warm with blush. I turned away, preventing myself from blushing any harder from those sparkling amber eyes.

"I-I'm fine, Feliciano, you don't need to worry about me. I-I just have a lot on my mind, i-is all." I stuttered, my face burning with embarrassment.

Being the oblivious and naïve Italian he was, Feliciano only smiled, a thousand lights going off as his flashed his glistening white teeth. "Good; I don't like to see Ludwig sad! Ve~, what's your next class?" He asked, leaning over my shoulder to look at the schedule in my hand.

I couldn't help but feel my hand go numb, and my face go beet red as the warmth of his body pressed against mine. My heart had begun to flutter again, growing wings and flying freely around me. It throbbed violently, pounding against my chest with such force. It was yet another sensation I had never felt before, and I had to wonder if it was good sensation or a bad one. In this case, it was making me go mentally insane.

He rested his chin gently on my shoulder, and I could tell he was standing on his toes, for he was much shorter than me. Dark eyelashes fluttered over his chocolate orbs, and a single strand of auburn hair lay in front on his face.

It took all the strength I had in me to not to push back that lone strand, and even more to hold back the urge to kiss the Italian right then and there. Then it brought me back to that question: _why _did I want to kiss him? _Why _was I blatantly attracted to a _guy_ I had just met? Was I _even_ attracted to him?

_Gah; snap OUT OF IT Ludwig! Your life is solely devoted to heterosexuality! YOU. DO NOT. LOVE. FELICIANO! _I told myself, turning to meet his sparkling eyes once more.

_But he's so…close…_

My lip quivered slightly as he spoke, knowing I could clear that gap between our lips at any second. "Ve~, we have lunch together, Ludwig! Come on, we can all eat outside since we're juniors, now! Only juniors and seniors get the privilege!" Feliciano squealed, that high-pitch voice acting as my nails on a chalkboard.

I sighed, surrendering as he intertwined our hands, leading me to yet another unknown destination I didn't know.

"Now Feliciano, why do you keep doing this?" I asked, sighing hard.

"What do you mean?"

"This; you keep holding my hand everywhere we go. Why is that?"

A smile crossed Feliciano's face, and a slight rosy color spread across his tanned cheeks. "Because every time I do, you always blush. And it's so cute!" The teen replied, turning back around and trotting towards the cafeteria.

My face went dark crimson with embarrassment as I watched his bouncing auburn hair entertain me the entire time he led me to our destination.

As Feliciano reached the outside of the school, I could already see the groups of students getting together with their friends. The warm August sun felt nice on my face and the bittersweet smell of fresh rain and flowers ran through my nostrils. A bird began to chirp a soft melody, one that Feliciano whistled in unison. It was all so…serene.

I scanned the yard looking for Gilbert, only to find him sitting by two other boys, one with wavy blonde hair and blue eyes, and other with shaggy brown hair and green eyes, who was also speaking carelessly in Spanish. Then there was also Lovino sitting next to the boy speaking in Spanish, who looked as if he were about to go mad.

It looked like my brother was having a good time, smiling happily and chatting away as his crammed a sandwich into his mouth. Seeing this, I cautiously began to walk towards them, hoping Gilbert wouldn't get irritated about his little brother following him. That's when Feliciano stopped me.

"Ve~, Ludwig, I want you to meet all of my friends; they're sitting over there. Come on!" He said, pointing to a group of teens sitting near the edge of the school. His brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight, letting bright colors of sweet chocolate pop. His light auburn hair brushed freely in the breeze, the single curl on the side of his face bouncing up and down.

My cheeks turned pink upon seeing such beauty, as I gave in and sighed in defeat. I would never be able to resist such gorgeous features.

_I'm going to slap myself if I keep doing this…_

I walked nervously up to the group of Feliciano's friends. I didn't know any of them, nor did I know how exactly they would accept me between my thick accents and German blood. After all, I had been called a Nazi three times that day.

My new Italian friend, on the other hand, walked up to them with a huge grin plastered onto his face, carrying the bowl of pasta he had brought for lunch. He pounded fists with one of the group members wearing a bomber jacket, who looked at have dirty blonde hair and light blue eyes.

Another one of the group members, who had shaggy blonde hair and thick eyebrows, immediately pulled the boy back away from the Italian, blushing madly in the process. The other teen only laughed, playing with his cowlick as he slid closer to him.

I took a seat nervously next to Feliciano, looking away from the rest of his friends as I pulled out a link of wurst from the bag I had brought for lunch.

"Yo; what's up? Looks like Feli made another new friend! The name's Alfred F. Jones; what's your name, dude?" The boy with the cowlick said, putting his hand in front of me to apparently give me a high-five, smiling like an idiot. His accent, almost as if it had a hint of southern and western to it, concluded me to think he was American.

The other boy with the bushy eyebrows pushed Alfred's hand away from my face, giving him a dark scowl.

"What he _means_ is that it's nice Feliciano has a new friend to share with us; and that his name is Alfred F. Jones. I'm Arthur Kirkland; pleasure." He said, his accent thick and English as he reached his hand out across the table to shake mine.

I did the same, but continued to stay silent, munching on a piece of my wurst. Taking another look at the gleaming Italian next to me from the corner of my eye, I couldn't help but let my mind wander back to what Lovino had said earlier again.

I mean, Lovino was pretty scary looking; and he didn't seem too fond about the idea of me hanging out with his younger brother. But it wasn't like I was _actually _going to stay away from Feliciano…unless I wanted to. Yet I didn't; I wanted to be close to him for the time being; to get to know him and stuff, and possibly find a way how to escape from the beautiful face.

Gah; I was doing it again! Why did I have to keep doing that? Every time I tried, my mind just seemed to find its way back to Feliciano, and practically convince me I was…in love with him. But I wasn't; I couldn't be! Not with somebody like _him_. Especially since I was completely and undeniably heterosexual! I was raised by an army family; I was strong, burly, and I knew I wouldn't convince myself that I was in love with my new friend.

Yet those eyes…and that glistening smile and sweet bubbly cheeks at just always seemed to be glued to his face; they…hypnotized me…

_CRAP! I'M. DOING. IT. AGAIN. STOP IT, LUDWIG, STOP IT! GET HIM OUT OF YOUR FREAKING HEAD!_

As I continued to think, I had practically drowned out Feliciano's rant about who-knows-what. That is, until Alfred's speaking-up suddenly snapped me back into reality.

"Hey Feliciano; why don't you tell your friend here about "Holy Roman Empire"!" He shouted, cackling and falling against Arthur's chest, whose face flared up at this.

Feliciano's face went scarlet, his amber eyes suddenly drowning with embarrassment.

"Ve~, do I have to?" He whined, covering the embarrassment scribbled across his face.

"Hai, please Feliciano-san? It's a very amusing story." A black-haired boy, who I assumed was Japanese, spoke up from being silent that entire time.

The Italian sighed, shaking his head and burying his face in his navy sweatshirt.

"Alright, if you won't do it, then I will!" Alfred said, getting off of a blushing Arthur and standing on top of the bench. "Ok, all eyes on the hero. So, when Feli was like, seven, he met this dude who never actually told him his name, so he just called him "Holy Roman Empire". Then, the two fell in love pretty much, and kissed each other and what not! Two _dudes_; and they were _seven_! Isn't that hilarious?"

Holy Roman Empire; I recognized that name. I remembered having a nickname similar to that when I was a kid; and I also had my first kiss when I was about seven…only, it was with a girl. …An Italian girl…

Feliciano's head shot up, completely covered with a thousand shades of red, and a single tear welled up in his left eye. Yet that smile never left his face.

"It was only one time! And I was seven; I didn't know! Ve~, I really loved Holy Rome. I never saw him again after that day…" He replied, sighing afterwards and resting his chin on his hand.

As Alfred took a seat from his "performance", I watched as Arthur gave him a nice smack on the arm, mumbling something along the lines of "idiot" as the Japanese boy beside him slightly giggled.

Just then, two more students began to walk towards us; one male and one female, hands intertwined with each other. The boy had dark raven hair with a single cowlick like Alfred's sticking up, and violet eyes. His glasses stayed firmly in place as he walked towards us, that lone mole of his on his face somewhat got on my nerves.

The girl he was with had long, wavy, caramel hair with an orange flower pinned to it, and light green eyes. Her dress bounced as she walked, similar to the color of the blush that lay on her face.

Feliciano's eyes lit up as he waved frantically at them. "Roderich! Elizabeta! It's so good to see you two again!" He cried.

The one I assumed was Roderich simply nodded, flashing a quick smile as he took a seat across from the Japanese boy; whose name I still didn't know. Elizabeta on the other hand, ran up to the waving Italian, pulling him into a full-out hug.

I gripped my hands into a tight ball; clenching my teeth as me expression went dark. A bubbling sensation began to boil under my body, almost as if it were…jealousy? No no, it couldn't be jealousy! It wasn't like the two were lovers or anything; it was just simple hug! And from what I had observed moments before, it seemed as if Elizabeta had feelings for Roderich. Besides, I didn't love Feliciano; I couldn't be jealous! Yet why did I want so strongly to be Elizabeta at that moment…?

"Feliciano; It's so good to see you again! And it looks like you've made a new friend!" She replied, releasing him and turning to me. "What's your name?"

"Ludwig." I mumbled, looking away from her and continuing to chew my lunch. It wasn't like I was _trying_ to be impolite; I just didn't like the way she approached Feliciano. _Why_ didn't I like the way she approached Feliciano?

"Nice to meet you, Ludwig! I'm Elizabeta, and that's my boyfriend, Roderich." Roderich gave a faint wave, and his girlfriend took a seat in between him and me. I let out a sigh of relief, feeling better that Elizabeta's boyfriend was Roderich and not Feliciano. _Why _was I relieved that her boyfriend was Roderich and not Feliciano?

Going back to the events before the couple had arrived; it took me a few more seconds to muster up the courage to speak. "You know, Feliciano; I-I kind of recognize that name, "Holy Roman Empire"…" I admitted.

The teen turned to me. "You do? _Fantastico_; that's amazing; you might have known him, too!" He cried, his voice screeching with joy.

It seemed as if a thousand sweet brown jewels had begun to glow as his eyes glistened in the bright afternoon sunlight, and it felt nearly impossible to prevent my cheeks from turning rosy.

My words began to clog up in my throat, nervously coming out in stutters. "Um, a-actually, I-I didn't k-know him. B-But I do remember having my f-first k-kiss with a little I-Italian girl when I was s-seven."

Elizabeta giggled at my nervousness, Feliciano still continuing to be oblivious.

"Ludwig, why are your cheeks so pink? Are you _blushing_?" She asked, observing my face as a devious smile crept across her mouth.

Blushing even harder, I covered my burning face with my hand. "N-No! I'm fine; i-it's just hot out here, is all." I denied, looking away from the curious girl.

She giggled even harder. "Well, ok then; but it looked as if you have a little crush on Feliciano for a second there!"

My face began to burn with embarrassment, and I shot a horrified look at Feliciano. His cheeks had turned completely scarlet; brown eyes wide, and mouth agape.

"W-What? I do not have a crush on _him_! I'm not a homosexual!" I cried.

The little Italian next me could hardly speak, his words only coming out in stutters. "Yeah, w-what h-he said. Ve~, we're j-just f-friends." He said the bubbliness in his voice suddenly disappearing, turning to what almost seemed like shock.

Roderich lightly nudged his girlfriend. "Elizabeta, you don't just go around claiming people have feelings for another person; especially somebody you've just met!" He pointed out, his Austrian accent strong, and expression serious yet playful.

Elizabeta only shrugged. "You know I'm just joking around, Rodereich. But if I can't do it to them, can I do it to Alfred and Arthur? Because it's _completely _obvious Arthur has the hots for Alfred!"

Arthur's face went crimson, and Alfred burst out into fits of laughter.

"H-How absurd! I would _never_ love somebody as stupid and idiotic as _Alfred_!" Arthur claimed, pointing a finger towards the American.

Calming down slightly, and wiping a tear from his eye, Alfred wrapped an arm around his British friend, ruffling his hair and pulling him closer to him. "Oh come on, Artie; you know you love me!" He said, bursting into laughter once more.

I sighed hard, looking back at Feliciano, who was shoving pasta in his mouth.

_This is going to be one heck of a year…_

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><p>DANG THIS CHAPTER IS LONG! Yeah, so I meant to give Prussia a bigger part in this chapter, but I ended up not doing that because it would have been too long, and now it turned out how it is. Hey, I promised Prussia, and you got Prussia! Don't worry; he'll have a bigger part in the next chapter. Poor Germany, he just can't make up his mind! The angst isn't for a while, though, so just enjoy the fluff for now as it is! Yes, I 100% support the GermanyHRE theory, and it plays a HUGE role in the rest of the story. Bear with me getting the next chapters up, the drama this year is getting worse, and my birthday is this weekend. Hooray for olderness :D! And also, just to let you all know, as I was reading through this and editing it, I was squealing like that little fangirl I am…I like GerIta that much…Don't forget to review!


	4. Chapter 4: Confessions

And so begins the chorus of "oohs" and "ah's" of chapter 4! This chapter plot was originally supposed to be I think chapter 3, maybe even 2, but 3 ended being longer than I expected. So, I just moved it to this one! Yes, I know I promised Prussia, so you all are getting Prussia (I have so much respect for him after watching more episodes of World Series…just sayin'.). Enjoy and R&R!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Axis Powers: Hetalia**

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><p>For the rest of the time being, I hadn't seen Feliciano very much. Our two classes that finished off the day turned out to be completely different from each other; I had photography and then marching band, and he had orchestra and then cooking<p>

I missed those sweet brown eyes the entire hour and half of photography. I longed for them; longed for them to lighten up my attitude again; to pull on my once-strong heartstrings and let them just blend into a spiraling mixture with mine. So beautiful, yet so serene. And I still couldn't figure out why I had completely convinced my mind to think that way.

I had pretty much dozed off the entire time that hour and a half photography of lasted. I was a little sluggish from just eating, and some idiot named Wang Yao pulled us into a lecture that ended up taking up the entire hour about the basics of a camera. During that time, I finally allowed my mind to wander to Feliciano without threatening to kill it.

I dreamed about those eyes, that gorgeous smile; the way his auburn hair bounced so rhythmically when he walked; and the way the tip of his nose always turned pink when he was nervous or worried. How we had walked down the hall together so many times that day, with him clutching onto my hand like a lost child every second; so close to me that I could actually feel the warmth of his breath trickling down my face. If only I could close that gap…

No no; maybe I was taking things too fast. It seemed repetitive convincing myself that I wasn't in love with him over and over again all throughout the day. I knew I didn't like guys; I knew I wasn't in denial; and I most certainly knew I would _never_ love such a boy as that irritatingly sweet Italian. Yet…maybe I really was falling in love with him; even if we had only just met…

_Ludwig, you think like that again and you'll die a harsh, painful death when I kill you in your sleep._

I walked to marching band class alone that passing period. The cooking room was all the way on the other side of the school, and being the Nervous Nelly he was, Feliciano wanted to be anything but late.

Honestly, it seemed a little lonely without him next to me. The halls were quiet and calm, and both my hands and face weren't on fire anymore and had finally stopped perspiring humiliation. But at the same time…I kind of wanted him there with me…I kind of wanted him holding my hand and pulling me along…

_I. Hate. You…_

I slowly stepped into the band room, watching as players of all kinds put their instruments together. I saw that same Austrian boy I had seen earlier at lunch; Roderich was it? He was pacing the room, flipping through papers, and I figured him to be one of the drum majors. Gilbert was also there, for we both played the trumpet, and I took a seat next to him as he ranted on about how awesome he was.

"Hey West; how's it going?" He asked, setting his trumpet in his lap.

I opened the case of my instrument, putting it together instead of looking at my brother.

"My day has been ok; a few ups and downs here and there."

"Yeah, well probably not as awesome as my day!" Gilbert said boldly, flicking his snowy hair off to the side.

I sighed and rolled my eyes at his arrogance, putting the mouthpiece into my trumpet and holding it up to tune it. My brother stayed silent for a moment, tapping his finger on his leg, with his crimson eyes curious.

"So West; who was that little Italian dude you were with earlier? You know, the one with that hair curl on the side of his head. Yeah, my friend Lovino was talking about him earlier today at lunch." He stated, shooting a curious look at me.

I knew exactly who was talking about. The thought of Feliciano's pretty brown eyes suddenly came flooding back into my mind, and my face went warm at the thought of him. I cracked a slight smile, still not looking at my brother, but instead looking at my reflection from the instrument in my hand. My cheeks were as rosy as they had been before.

"Oh, him. That's Feliciano; I met him today and he led me around the school. We're…just friends…" I replied, trying my best to hide the obvious blush on my face from Gilbert.

He nodded. "Yeah, that guy. He was in my calculus class a few hours ago; he seemed to talk about you a lot. It was "Ludwig this" and "Ludwig that". I think he kind of likes you.

My heart skipped a beat, and the blush on my face suddenly cranked up. Feliciano…was talking about…me? A-And he…liked me? No no, that just couldn't be true, right? I mean, why would _he_, of all people, have feelings for _me? _Why was I so concerned with this? Maybe…I was just misleading it. Maybe it was only as a friend…

Gilbert looked down at me, a devious grin spreading across his face. "Say West, when I brought up his name, I noticed your face go red. Is there…something going on between the two of you?" He asked slyly, observing my face.

I turned away. "Glibert, what are you talking about? There's nothing going on between the two of us! We're _just _friends!" I claimed, shaking away the thought that maybe that could be changed.

Gilbert only laughed, banging his fist obnoxiously on the stand and snorting violently. "I can't believe it; you're so in denial!" He shouted, letting out fits of laughter.

I shot my head back up at him, the pink on my face getting darker and warmer. "I am _not _in denial! I do _not_ love Feliciano!"

"You're totally in denial! It's written all of your face; look at how flushed it is! You love that hyper little Italian dude!"

A couple of people around us gave us some concerned glances. Elizabeta, on the other hand, who played the flute, only giggled; giving me that same sly smile she had before.

I shook my head. "What is wrong with you, Gilbert? I do not love him; we're just friends! I would _never_ love somebody like him,_ ever_! Especially not another _guy_! Seriously, Gilbert, stop imagining things and start getting your head back into reality, sheesh."

My brother shrugged, flipping his hair once more. "Suit yourself. But I saw the way you were looking at his eyes; you were totally into them! Don't worry though, I think he loves you too; he seemed pretty happy when he kept blabbing on about you all of calculus. I think that's why Lovino hates you so much; because he's convinced you've fallen in love with each other. Well that explains why he was so mad about it at lunch…"

I rolled my eyes, drowning out all of Gilbert's words, and focusing on playing my instrument. But that threat made its way to the back of my mind again; the one Lovino had stated in health class earlier. I guess if I wanted to stay around Feliciano a little longer, it would probably be best if I told him what happened…

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><p>I decided not to ride home with Gilbert after school ended that day. I wasn't in much of a mood to listen to him constantly taunt me about "being in denial", when I <em>clearly wasn't<em>. And I wanted to talk to Feliciano about Lovino's threat to me.

The Vargas's' house wasn't too far away from Hetalia High, so the two of us just decided to walk home together. Besides, it was one of the few days in August where neither of us had completely melted from the heat, and it was completely gorgeous outside. Although my home was quite a walks away from the school, I figured it wouldn't kill if it took me a little longer to get home.

I walked in silence next to the Italian teen for half the time we had walked together, thinking over exactly what I was going to tell him. How was I supposed to say it; I had never been in this position before! He seemed quite sensitive from what I had observed, so I wasn't too fond of the idea of hurting his feelings.

Feliciano, on the other hand, ranted on about the rest of his day, including Holy Roman Empire. For some reason, it sort of got to me that he kept talking about that guy. His name sounded so familiar to me; and I just couldn't figure out where I had heard it before! After all, the constant blabbing on about him suddenly seemed to get…annoying? No no; I couldn't say something as harsh as that to such a sensitive soul, but all I knew was that it was certainly getting on my nerves.

Even after all that blabbing, though, I still couldn't seem to figure out my words on how I was going to admit what his brother had said to me. It was so simple, yet so far away. And being somewhat of a hypocrite, not having anything else to talk about, I asked Feliciano about that little friend of his.

"Hey Feliciano, tell me more about this "Holy Roman Empire" guy; I'm kind of curious to know what he was like." I said, turning to face him.

And by that, I mean I wanted to know what he was like so I could live up to that. _Why_ did I want to live up to that?

Feliciano turned to me, his amber eyes once again sparkling in the summer sun. From walking so much already, my cheeks had already turned the slightest bit of pink, so the blush wasn't as difficult to hide as before.

"Ve~, you want to know about Holy Rome? Well, he was very sweet; a little scary and obsessive at times, but I still loved him nonetheless! When he moved away, I gave him my favorite push broom to remember me by, and he gave me a kiss in return. The place he moved to…I don't even remember where it was, but I do remember it being torn into war. I never saw him again after that day…and I'm pretty sure he's dead…" He explained, sighing as liquid formed in his eyes. A single tear trickled down his cheek, and he closed his eyes, "I really loved him so much…"

As he wiped away the tear that fell down his face, I spoke up. "I'm sure he's ok, Feliciano, he just might not remember you very well." I said softly, in an attempt to comfort him.

Feliciano sniffled, shifting his eyes towards the ground. He didn't speak.

As the silence grew longer, I felt it was time for me to admit something as well. "F-Feliciano…there's s-something I need to tell you…" I said quietly.

The Italian turned to me, tipping his head to the side as if he wanted me to go on.

I let out a hard sigh before speaking, knowing once it was said, it couldn't be unsaid. "T-Today in health class, I-I was sitting by your brother, Lovino, like Mr. Rome told me to. H-He apparently really didn't like me, and threatened that if I didn't stay away from you, he would pound my face into dust…" I admitted, my face turning red with embarrassment.

"Ve~, b-but why would he something like that?" Feliciano asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know, but my brother, Gilbert said that it was because…" I paused, stalling on letting the next words out. After what had happened at lunch, it was almost impossible to imagine what his reaction would be. "Because he doesn't…want us to be together. Y-You know, a-as a couple. Or so Gilbert says…"

The teen stayed silent for a moment, shifting his eyes toward the ground again. "Oh…well, I don't like my brother being so mean to you. Ve~, why would somebody say something like that to Ludwig? Oh well, Lovino may be my brother, but he doesn't know anything. He got held back; that's why he was in our class today. He's supposed to be a senior…"

"So was my brother…" I mumbled.

Feliciano pressed his hand against my face, turning my head to face him, amber and cerulean finally meeting. A cold chill ran down my spine, and my face flushed at his warm touch.

"Don't let Lovino be mean to you, ok?" He said, he expression turning serious.

I nodded, unable to find my words again as my stomach became clogged in my throat. My heart pounded violently in my ears like a drum, and I could barely even hear myself think because of it.

He smiled. "Good! Ve~, my house is right over there, come on!" He said, intertwining our hands for the countless time that day, and leading me to his driveway.

Every time he did so, it seemed to catch me off guard, and the warm touch of his soft hand sent that same warmth smacking against my already red face.

All of our surroundings disappeared as we stopped at the end of his driveway. Everything else seemed to be a blur, and as I could see and focus on was him. It was just the two of us; standing there in the sunlight with his hands gripping onto mine. It felt a though they were shaking, and I could feel the small perspiration that had begun form on them.

I looked into the hypnotizing pools of chocolate that were the Italian's eyes, taking in all of their beautiful features. They danced across mine, letting out a sweet hue of gleaming brown everywhere around us. Once again, I found myself drowning in those pools of brown; falling far into the abyss that I could never escape. My entire body felt as if it were about it give out, and every bit of my stone heart had suddenly turned into a gooey mess. I couldn't help but realize that they were that beautiful, shining freely in the sunlight.

We were so close; almost as close as we had been when he had rested his head on my shoulder while looking at my schedule earlier that day.

_I could close that gap so easily if I wanted to…_ I thought, still gazing into his eyes with my lip quivering slightly at the thought. _But why would I ever want to do something like that…?_

Feliciano shifted his eyes to the ground again, chuckling softly as pink tinted his cheeks. "Ve~, it was fun meeting you today, Ludwig, I can't wait to talk to you again tomorrow!" He said shyly, cracking a soft smile.

I smiled as well. "It was nice to meet you too, Feliciano. Today was…fun…"

We stood in silence for a few more seconds, our hands still intertwined with each other. Both of us had our eyes to the concrete, but I could tell from the corner of my eyes that he was blushing just as hard as I was.

"Well, um…I'll see you tomorrow, Ludwig."

With that, he reached up to stand on his toes, planting a gentle kiss on both of my cheeks. My face turned dark crimson, burning viciously against my face. My heart throbbed in my reddened ear, and all sound had been completely drowned out by the pounding. It screamed for more, thirsty for me to do the same, and reach out to press his lips against mine. Yet I just couldn't bring myself to do so, for I was still in a pretty good amount of shock.

As he pulled away, Feliciano's face immediately went flushed, and he turned away to hide the embarrassment.

"Ve~ s-sorry, i-it's kind of a tradition in my family that when you meet a new friend, you kiss them on both cheeks when you say goodbye. Well, heh heh, bye." He explained, retreating towards his house.

I could only stand in shock, my mouth agape as I watched his auburn hair bounce as he ran.

"Oh, and before I forget, Ludwig, your eyes look every pretty in the sun." He admitted before waving and walking inside.

I still stood frozen to the ground even after he had left. Blush spread rapidly against my face, and it felt as his the heat would melt off my skin. At that moment, standing on Feliciano's driveway, even if it was the first day we had met, I realized that maybe all that convincing had done me no good. I was almost 99.9% sure I was falling in love with that little Italian…

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><p>LONG CHAPTER IS LONG! Ah Germany, he's <em>totally <em>not in denial (*coughsarcasticcough*)! And I _finally _added some kind of kiss in this story; I've been DYING to add one since I started! This chapter didn't take long at all to type, and because it's freezing cold outside and I have no homework, I actually had time to type this thing up! It didn't turn out as well as I wanted it too, but I don't care. Next, I have to finish up chapter 2 of Apocalypse of an Empire before my reviewers kill me. Also, I actually have no idea if that really is an Italian tradition, because I'm not Italian, but either way, I'm making it a Vargas tradition! By the way, for all those who want to know, yes, my birthday was extremely legit. Now, if you want to be awesome like Prussia, reviews are always welcome!


	5. Chapter 5: Into Confusion

I bring you chapter 5! ...Much later then I should have had it up...I think it's kind of funny; I've been so caught up in all the fluff in this story that I still need to remember that in the later chapters, some angst is coming. Just a warning. Also, before all of you get confused, the reason why all the classes are different in this chapter is because Hetalia High has block schedule. Well, that's what they do at my high school, so I'm using it in this story! Alright, enjoy and R&R!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Axis Powers: Hetalia.**

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><p>It had been a week since that awkward moment between Feliciano and I had occurred. We obviously didn't tell the others, especially not Elizabeta, but there were times when we had gotten close to it.<p>

Gilbert hadn't found out either, but there were still multiple times in marching band where he taunted me constantly about my "denial". I couldn't exactly say I was in denial anymore; because after all, that day when Feliciano kissed me on both cheeks was the day I had finally figured out that I could very possibly have been falling in love with him.

I'd fallen into his little trap; with his sweet chocolate eyes hypnotizing me, and his warm features turning me inside out. I wasn't like I could tell anybody, though, so I had to keep my feelings to myself. Yet knowing the Italian, it would be difficult.

That day in English class, I had been dozing on and off from paying attention and sketching out a picture of Feliciano. I was wary, though, because nobody exactly knew about the whole incident involving him the week before; and I defiantly had to be careful of covering up the paper from Elizabeta, who was sitting behind me. I knew I wasn't the best artist in the world, but it was better than listening to Mr. Germania talk about stuff nobody cared about.

Mr. Germania was a cool teacher, I'd have to admit. Unlike Mr. Rome, he was quiet; mysterious, and never really got off topic. Oddly enough, he looked almost identical to me, despite the hair lengths. He had long blonde hair with a braid down the side, and icy blue eyes that were cold and intimidating. Yet even with all that, he still turned out to be a good teacher.

"Now class, I want to give you an assignment." Mr. Germania said as placid as ever, turning to face us. Most of the students groaned, rubbing their heads and cursing under their breath. "I want you all to write a paper about something that means a lot to you; something that you love. It will be due in two weeks, no later. Try making it somewhat of an inspirational story; something that will move us."

Something that meant a lot to me; what _did_ mean a lot to me? I didn't love a lot of things; actually, I didn't really even like hardly _anything_; but taking an F in the class wasn't exactly an option. But knowing me, how was I supposed to right an inspirational story about love?

I sighed, and continued working on my drawing of Feliciano. "This is going to be harder than I thought…" I mumbled, shading the darkened color of his brown eyes. Being the horrible drawer I was, for some reason, I found that his smile was strangely…pure…

As the bell rang not much later, I realized I had pretty much drowned out most of Mr. Germania's lecture. Lunch was just around the corner, and I was starving from not having any breakfast that morning, so it was difficult to pay attention. Plus, drawing was the only way to keep me awake and away from drowsiness.

As the class began to rush out of the room and to their next class, I walked up nervously to English teacher, hoping I wouldn't be in too much trouble.

"Mr. Germania, I uh, didn't really understand the lecture very well. C-Could you explain it better?" I asked, trying hard not to be too intimidated by his dark blue eyes. Then again, I was Ludwig, of couse I couldn't be intimidated by him! ...I think...

Mr. Germania sighed. "Well, Ludwig, if you were paying attention at all, you would know that the class spent the entire time working on their papers. I saw you drawing instead of working." He said.

I found myself blushing with embarrassment at his words, as I put my hand behind my back and shifted my eyes to the floor.

"Sorry, I'm just really tired today." I explained, slightly chuckling at my half-lie. Of course I was tired, anybody would be if they had to wake up at six in the morning five days a week; but I mostly wanted to work on finishing my picture of my Italian friend

"Alright, well get some better sleep tonight. I don't want to see you dozing off again. Do you at least have an idea for what your paper is going to be about?" I sighed and shook my head, still wondering to myself what exactly I could write about. "Well, you think about it, ok? Now go to lunch; I don't want you to starve to death."

I nodded, quickly walking towards the door to reduce the awkwardness. "Will do, Mr. Germania." I said a little too fast.

"You know, Ludwig, you remind me a lot of my grandson. He was a lot like you; he never really paid attention to anything, he always got embarrassed at everything, and he was always had a thing for drawing. Heh, I remember how he always used to ask this little Italian boy to teach him. He looked quite a bit like you, too. Good kid, good kid." He said as I placed my hand on the handle of the door.

I turned back around before I could leave, questions and curiosity suddenly rising within me. "What was his name?" I asked, releasing my hand from the handle.

Mr. Germania sighed. "I don't exactly remember; it was so long ago that he had disappeared. I don't know why, but for some reason I keep thinking it was Ludwig. Heh, ironic, huh?"

At that moment, putting together everything that both he and Feliciano had told me, I had been the most confused I had been in a long, long time.

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><p>That same day at lunch, I had been carelessly walking around the courtyard of the school after coming to lunch late from talking to Mr. Germania. I scanned the yard for the familiar faces of the friends I met last week, but had no luck in finding them. Even the sparkly eyes of Feliciano.<p>

As I continued to walk around, my stomach gnawing at my skin to give it food, I was approached by a squealing, blushing Elizabeta. Oddly enough, Roderich wasn't with her, and that's what brought me to think something was defiantly up.

"You like him, don't you?" She asked me, trying to act composed, but still showed many signs that she was about to lose it.

My face went flushed, and I looked at her in disbelief. "Him? What are you talking about?" I asked, relief flooding over me that I hadn't stuttered.

"You know what I mean, Ludwig; you have a crush on Feliciano! I saw that picture you drew in English today; it's completely obvious you have feelings for him." She stated, a smile spreading wider across her face.

That sense of relief suddenly turned to horror, as my stomach flipped inside out and my face began to burn.

"What? I-I do not! That's completely out of line, Elizabeta; you know I'm not like that!" I claimed, shaking my head violently.

The Hungarian only giggled, her green eyes sparkling. "Ludwig, everybody knows it! Even Roderich is convinced it's true! The way you act around him makes it completely obvious; you always blush around him, you always stutter, you want to be around him all the time, it's no use denying it."

I sighed, looking in both directions cautiously before leaning closer to whisper into her ear. "What about him; do you think he does?" I asked, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Elizabeta let out a soft squeal before nodding. "Defiantly, he talks about you nonstop in our other classes! I even found out that the two of you had a little "moment" last week on the first day of school.

I cursed silently under my breath, wondering whether to smile or be completely horrified that she had found out.

"How did you know about that?" I whispered to her sternly.

"He was talking about it in 1st hour today. Don't worry, it was only to me, though."

"I swear, it was only a kiss on the cheek! Actually, _cheeks_ in this case. Besides, _he_ was the one who did it, not me." I corrected, the blush spreading rapidly at the memory.

The girl giggled once again. "The two of you are so cute together! And you know, that gives me an idea. Come on, we're all sitting over here." Elizabeta said, a devious smile spreading across her face as she walked in the direction towards our group.

_I don't like where this is going…_ I thought, walking cautiously towards our group of friends.

Alfred, Arthur, Roderich, Feliciano, and that Japanese boy, whose name I found out was Kiku earlier that day, were already sitting at the table, doing practically the same things they had the week before. Alfred had his arm around Arthur while chowing down on a hamburger, Arthur was blushing madly while mumbling something under his breath, Kiku was sitting quietly next to Roderich, occasionally starting small talk with him, and Feliciano was chatting away to the rest of the group.

I felt my senses go numb and a light blush dust across my cheeks as the brunette turned around and flashed his glistening amber orbs at me.

"Ve~, Ludwig is here, guys! Yay, I'm so glad to see you, Ludwig!" He cried, waving frantically at me with a huge grin plastered to his face.

In return, I gave him a faint smile and wave, taking a seat next to Roderich as quickly as possible. As my stomach began to long harder for food, Elizabeta found it was the perfect time to speak up just before I could place a link of wurst into my famished body.

"Hey guys, I'm going down to the forest over there to look at the summer blossoms that just bloomed if anybody wants to come. Roderich, do you want to come?" She said, placing her hands on the table and pointing to the nearby forest. Roderich nodded, packing up the remains of his lunch and placing an arm around his girlfriend.

At this, Feliciano's eyes lit up. "Ve~, the summer blossom bloomed already? They only stay like that once a year in the summer! Ludwig, I have to show you them! Please please PLEASE let me show you them!" He begged, gripping onto my hands and bouncing up and down on the bench like a child.

Having to deal with those sparkly eyes and gleaming smile was hard enough each and every day when I knew I couldn't do anything about it; but having to deal with those big, brown, puppy dog eyes was nearly agonizing. His bottom lip quivered slightly, and I could tell just from the expression on his face that he wanted me to go, _really _badly.

I sighed in defeat, nodding slightly as I shifted my eyes to the ground to escape the agony. Feliciano's face lit up even more, and he clapped his hands wildly with joy. "Ve~, thank you so much, Ludwig! They are the prettiest thing in the entire world; even prettier than pasta! Come on!" He cried, his voice screeching as he pulled me towards the forest.

There it was again; my nails on a chalkboard. I didn't understand why at all, but that voice just got to me in the most unexplainable way. As much as I, er, "enjoyed being around him", that high-pitched Italian voice was something that I found myself nearly hating. And that was yet another thing I just couldn't figure out.

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><p>Wow, this chapter is really short compared to my other chapters. Aaaaand it's also not my best chapter, I'll admit. But, at least I finished it, so that's good, right? Chapter 6 might be a little short, too, depending on how I write it. And about the "summer blossoms"…I don't know, I just thought it was a necessary name for a pretty flower in the summer...Don't judge me. Alright, I'm off to write chapter 6 (That was originally supposed to be part of this chapter.). Don't forget to review! Because, you know...reviews make me happy...<p> 


	6. Chapter 6: Set Up

Woot, chapter 6! Since this chapter was supposed to be part of 5, I know EXACTLY how I'm going to write the first part. …Maybe…So…that's basically all I can say…enjoy and R&R!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Axis Powers: Hetalia.**

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><p>Truth be told that my palm was sweating violently as Feliciano pulled me into the forest flooding with flowers. Roderich and Elizabeta had gotten a head start, so it was just Feliciano and I at the time.<p>

His auburn hair bounced happily as he ran, looking back occasionally to check on me. His amber eyes were like glistening jewels in the bright sunlight, with an overpowering brown hue that lit up my senses.

I could feel an immense amount of blush and worry starting to take over, as I had absolutely no idea what devious plan Elizabeta had in store for us; and Feliciano was just too sweet not to go red at. And for that reason, I'd have to bang my head against a desk just to keep that face from mocking me.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of need to speak up; to tell him something. In a perfect setting as we were, running through the forest with our hands tightly intertwined. My stomach twisted into knots at the thought of what I could possibly say, and I felt hot blush stain my cheeks.

Could I tell him…the truth? No no, I couldn't do that; I didn't even know if it was true yet! Of course I felt…er, somewhat of an attraction to him, but I couldn't just say I was in love after we had only just met last week! Or, at least not yet.

I cleared my throat, getting ready for what I was about to say, with a vicious tinge of scarlet glued to my face. "F-Feliciano, I-I have something I want to s-say to you." I admitted nervously, my heart beginning to pound vigorously.

Feliciano turned to me, fluttering those long brown eyelashes over his sparkling chocolate orbs. His smile was sweet and sincere, like he actually wanted to hear what I was going to tell him, and a faint shade of pink tinged the tip of his nose and ears.

"What is it, Ludwig?" He asked, followed by a small ve.

I swallowed hard, reciting the words in my head as I shifted my eyes to the ground. We were still running, his hand in mine, with still no sign of any flowers. Now was my chance.

_It's only three little words Ludwig, now DO IT!_

"F-Feliciano, I-I-"

"Look, Ludwig, we're here! Come look at the pretty flowers!" He cried, releasing his grip on my hand and running towards the flowers, letting out soft ve's has he ran.

I sighed, embarrassment creeping onto my cheeks as I mumbled under my breath.

_Crap, that could have been my only chance to finally tell him. _I thought. _If only I could admit to myself that I really am in love with him…_

Despite the embarrassment and awkwardness, I walked up to join him, watching as he gazed at the trees flooding with blossoms. I stood by his side, cracking as small smile at his expression and excitement.

"Ve~, I told you they were pretty Ludwig! Look at all the flowers!" He said, pointing to our surroundings. And he was right. Red, orange, and yellow splattered against the green, mixing into a warm sensation the brightened in the sunlight. A fresh scent of floral ran through my nostrils, and filled them with a scent I could only describe as summer. Lone petals fluttered in the wind, floating off into the unknown. Thw beauty was something I had almost never experienced before, and as I shot a quick glance towards Feliciano, I saw the brown hue in his bright eyes mix perfectly with our fiery setting.

They sparkled with joy, and I could tell he was marveled by the beauty of our surroundings. I had to admit, I was actually fairly happy he dragged me along with him. It was quite a beauty.

I reached up to pick one of the flowers gently from one of the smaller branches, handing it nervously to the Italian. "Here, I-I want you to have it." I offered, stuttering with nervousness.

Feliciano let out a faint ve at my action, accepting the flower and holding it gingerly with both hands. "Ve~, thank you Ludwig; that's so sweet! I love it!" He said, smiling as pink dusted across his cheeks.

He stood on the tips of his toes, leaning closer to my cheek before he caught himself. "Oh, s-sorry. I-I forgot, heh heh." He said awkwardly, noticing his action.

I waved it off. "I-It's alright, Feliciano. I-I know you didn't mean to."

_Was he really just about to kiss me again?_

Feliciano smiled, those pools of brown still sparkling in the sunlight. "Good!"

We stood silent for a few more minutes, just gazing at the beauty that lay in front of us. I shot a quick glance down at his right hand, getting that shaky feeling once more as it was so close to mine. Unable to control myself, I slowly began to move my left hand, until it had finally intertwined with his. Feliciano turned to me, scarlet staining his cheeks, but none the less he gave me a soft smile.

I couldn't tell if this was right or, knowing that we had just met, but judging from the way he looked at me and the blush on his face, it felt almost perfect.

As I let out a long sigh, I heard a faint giggle coming from Elizabeta off in the distance. Feliciano turned to me, confused, but I only shrugged as I couldn't tell what was going on either. We inched closer to the giggles, our hands still intertwined, before stumbling onto something…something I wished I had rather not seen.

Standing in front of us were Elizabeta and Roderich, the Austrian's hands around his girlfriend's waist, her arms claiming his neck, kissing. I noticed a slight sly smile placed onto her face, and such a smile made my stomach drop.

"Aw, that's so sweet!" Feliciano squealed in nearly a whisper, trying to be quiet and let them have _some _privacy.

I felt that shaky feeling return once more, and that horrifyingly strong urge to do the same to the Italian rise within me. Blush made its way onto my face at these thought, and involuntarily I turned to Feliciano. My body just couldn't back down now, as if it had a mind of its own.

I placed my hands gently against his face, caressing it softly as a chill running down my spine at its touch. Soft; baby-like, and a sensation that made me go nauseous.

"F-Felciano…" I whispered, feeling an immense amount of heat make its way to his face. He looked confused; having an utterly bewildered expression glued to his face. Without thinking, I began to lean closer, feeling my body shake violently at what I knew my next action would be.

"Uh, Ludwig, what are doing?" He spoke up before I could press my lips against his. I opened my eyes, gazing into two gorgeous pools of deep chocolate. He tipped his head to the side, seeming completely confused at my action. Then again, he was probably the most naïve person I knew.

_DO IT LUDWIG, JUST DO IT AND GET IT OVER WITH! YOU DON'T HAVE ALL DAY! _My conscious screamed inside my head, persuading me to make the first move.

As much as I was hypnotized by those pretty brown orbs, it took all the strength I had in me to pull away. My face burned rapidly with a deep shade of hot crimson, and I shifted my eyes to the ground to avoid the situation becoming even more awkward. My hand made its way to the back of my head, as I was embarrassed beyond words.

"I, uh…was, uh…uh…" I stuttered, unable to find the words clogged into the back of my throat. I glanced over Elizabeta and Roderich, anger bubbling within me as the devious smile grew wider and wider on the Hungarian girl's face. "ELIZABETA YOU SET US UP!"

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><p>Elizabeta burst into fits of giggles, blush staining her face as she made her way towards us. "You two…and the flowers…and holding hand…and how you almost…BHAHAHAHA!" She cried, wiping her eyes. "It's all so cute!"<p>

"Yeah, I'm well aware that that almost happened, now explain to me _why _you set us up!" I said sternly, walking towards her with my arms crossed, trying hard to erase the obvious blush that was glued to my face.

"Oh come on Ludwig, you know what's up! You two would make the cutest couple in the world; even Roderich thinks so!" She explained, turning to Roderich for support.

Roderich looked towards the ground, obviously feeling awkward with the whole situation. "Well, I know you two really just met, and you two…aren't exactly like Elizabeta and I, but I have to admit, you guys would really make a good couple…"

I clenched my fist at his words, feeling anger and embarrassment rise within me as I gritted my teeth.

Elizabeta squealed. "Exactly my point; you two would be great together! I already know Ludwig-" Before she could continue, I cut her off, waving my hands frantically to get her to shut up, and moving my finger across my neck as if I were about to slice it off. "Oops, sorry. Well, I just think you two would be adorable together! Feliciano, what do you think?"

Feliciano didn't speak, but instead whispered several nervous ve's under his breath, with his face stained crimson. Before he could even speak, he retreated the opposite way of us towards the school, covering his face and leaving me their shocked and utterly embarrassed.

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><p>Over the next couple of days, Feliciano and I never really spoke much. Actually, we had pretty much kept our distance from each other. Of course he waved to me on several occasions, but every time we passed each other in the hall, he looked away, his face going red as he passed me. And it left me heartbroken and saddened at the awkwardness, and the fact that he wouldn't even speak to me.<p>

During English that day, we continued to work on our papers. They weren't due for quite a while longer, yet I still couldn't think of what exactly to write about. What did I love; what meant more to me than anything? I loved…wurst? But who would even care to listen to a five minute report about some kind of food? I loved…Gilbert? No, no; we were practically rivals in our house. Besides, everybody else was probably writing about their sibling's; and if he found out about it I probably wouldn't survive another day.

As yet another crumbled piece of notebook paper made its way into the trash can, I pulled out another piece, finding myself sketching another picture of Feliciano. This time, he wasn't smiling, or muttering something about pasta, but was instead looking mortally horrified.

By the end of the hour, I had realized I wasted a good amount of writing time working on that drawing. As I packed up my belongings getting ready to leave, I watched in horror and embarrassment as Mr. Germania snatched the piece of paper from me.

_Oh Gott, this is going to be good…_

"I see you've got quite a liking for this boy, Ludwig. Feliciano Vargas; I have him the hour before you." He said, scanning my drawing.

My face went hot with blush, feeling completely embarrassed by the whole situation. Had he really just found out my secret? "Mr. Germania, i-it's not what it looks like. I-I was j-just-"

Before I could continue, the man cut me off. "I know, Ludwig; I completely understand. I overheard Feliciano talking about how you two almost kissed two days ago. He was wearing a pinned summer blossom onto his shirt today, and said it was from you. You must like him very much." He said, cracking a faint smile as he looked up at me.

I sighed, feeling as though I could trust him, but also a bit awkward that I was actually telling my English teacher this. "Is it really that obvious?"

"I have my ways, Ludwig. It's quite alright, though; it's your decision on who you like and who you don't like. Personally, I think Feliciano is a great student." He said, waving his hand in front of his face in approval.

"Stupid eyes…" I muttered under my breath, crossing my arms and shifting my eyes to the ground.

"Alright, I'm letting you off the hook; I don't want you to be late for lunch again. Be sure to be working on your paper." Mr. Germania said, sitting down at his desk as he looked through papers.

_If I actually _knew_ what I was writing about…_ I thought, but nodded none the less so I wouldn't be in too much trouble. I moved quickly out of the room, shutting the door behind me as I let out a sigh of relief. That is, until I ran into one certain Italian.

Feliciano's face flushed at the sight of me, tears welling up in his eyes as he began shaking like a leaf. "Oh, I-I'm sorry Ludwig! I didn't mean to run into you! Please don't kill me!" He pleaded, his lip quivering slightly.

I waved it off. "It's ok, Feliciano. I'm not going to kill you. That's the first full sentence you've said to me in two days." I brought up, smiling slightly. Sure enough, that flower really was pinned to his maroon collar shirt.

"Well, uh, heh heh…" The Italian looked towards the ground, fiddling with his thumbs as a good amount of blush spread across his face. An awkward silence began to take place, before he finally spoke up. "I-I'm sorry for not talking to you, L-Ludwig. I-I was just a little embarrassed about the situation, heh heh." He admitted, giving me a looked that just screamed for forgiveness.

"As was I. I'm not used to you not talking to me all the time." I said, smiling as a way to forgive him. Yet for some reason, I felt as if he not talking to me all the time was actually a _good _thing.

"Ve~, good. I was worried you hated me now for running off like that. I'm sorry…" As yet another silence set in, and our faces grew rosier, Feliciano suddenly clutched onto both of my hands, looking me dead in the eye with a sense of seriousness that I'd never seen before. "Please; never leave me, Ludwig. I want to be friends with you forever. Promise me; promise me you'll never leave me ever, ok?"

My face flushed at his action, and he held out his pinky in front of my face. A pinky swear, huh? For an Italian as clueless and naïve as he was, he most have been really serious about this.

I brought a shaky pinky up to his, twisting it around his to make the swear. "Promise." I whispered.

But in all honesty, as he pulled me into a tight hug, I felt as if this promise would soon come back to haunt me.

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><p>Yeah, like I said, not a very long chapter. I expected it to be longer, but I guess it's fine the way it is. But WOOT, I'm getting so good with updating more! We're out of school in three days, but literally, right after that, I have marching band practice, and then I go to Kanakuk for two weeks. So, from June 4th-June 18th, I won't be updating at all since I won't have my laptop. But, I might write a little bit in my notebook while I'm there if I have time, so I'll defiantly be updating when I get back! So, review away! Seriously, though...chapter 7 will be held hostage until you do...<p> 


	7. Chapter 7: Goodbyes

I'm so sorry I made you guys wait for this chapter for so long! I know I said I'd update right after I got back from Kanakuk about…a month ago, but I ended up going on hiatus with this story for the time being to work on Apocalypse of an Empire. But since I just finished it, I can finally start back on this! :D I wrote quite a bit of chapter 8 while I was at camp, because I already knew exactly what was going to happen, so that might be up soon depending on if I'm busy or not (I have school preparations and cosplay stuff, that's why.). Well, enjoy and R&R!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Axis Powers: Hetalia.**

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><p>Over the next week, I felt as though Feliciano had become a little <em>too<em> attached to me after we had made that promise to stay together. It seemed almost annoying to me; irritating I should say, as he tried to be with me every second of the day. And…I accepted the fact that I found him irritating…

Of course, I knew he was only trying to be loyal, and stick with me for we had become friends and made a promise over it. But following me from class to class, as I walked home, and pretty much everywhere I went was just too overbearing for me. I needed…space…

Elizabeta sure got a kick out of it, though, as kissing me on both cheeks had become a daily thing for the Italian. It wasn't like I didn't enjoy it or anything the first few times, but doing it every time he saw me was just nearly…embarrassing? Especially when Gilbert caught him in the act, laughing obnoxiously all the way down the hall like he had the first day, and then ranting about it to me later on when we got home.

Not to mention his constant blabbing about that Holy Roman Empire guy. Who was he; why did he seem so familiar to me? It just didn't make any sense at all why I hated this guy so much, and why I actually found myself becoming…jealous?

I think it was time Feliciano and I…"took a break" from each other. I needed to find a way to get away from all this…

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><p>I had rushed into English that day, slamming down my books onto my desk and sitting down as quickly as possible. I leaned back just a bit, closing my eyes and placing my hands behind my head.<p>

"Alone at last." I sighed, relaxing as I took in the silence of the room.

I was finally away from him; at peace at last, and I could finally enjoy myself. Trying to get away from the high-maintenance teen wasn't easy, and I made sure to rush to my next class to avoid him. After all, we weren't even in the same English class! That is, until I heard that voice.

"Hi Ludwig!" The voice cried, causing my moment of piece to go straight back to horror.

I gritted my teeth at the sound of that voice; that screeching, high-pitch, Italian voice. It _couldn't _be him; we weren't even in the same English class together!

Clenching my fists into tight balls, I turned around hesitantly, only to find my eyes falling on a smiling, cheerful Feliciano, who was waving at me and sitting in the seat directly behind me.

_And just when I finally get away from him, he's back…_ I thought coldly, feeling my level of annoyance shoot straight up at the sight of him. It wasn't like I didn't _like_ seeing the bubbly Italian, I had just gotten…tired of it having to be every moment of the day. Like a stalker, almost.

"Feliciano, what are you doing here? You're not in this class." I said between clenched teeth, my eye twitching slightly. Weird, that had never happened before…My eye only twitched like that when I was about to lose it…

The Italian opened his eyes, shining that bubbly smile at me. "Ve~, I switched classes so I could be with you! I asked Mr. Germania yesterday; he didn't seem to mind at all." He said, giggling happily.

I sighed hard, shooting a quick glare at our English teacher sitting at his desk. _That man…_ I thought, remembering what he had told me earlier that week when he had snatched my drawing from me as I was leaving.

I turned back to Feliciano. "Feliciano, why did you even switch classes in the first place? Friends don't always have to be in the same classes." I asked him, trying to make my voice sound more calm than irritated.

His eyes went soft, turning into two gooey piles of dark chocolate, and he gave me a sorry look as if he felt bad or guilty for something. "Ve~, I-I'm sorry, Ludwig. I thought that since were friends and all, you would want me to be in this class with you. I-I can switch back if you want." The Italian told me sadly, giving me those same big, brown puppy dog eyes he'd given me the week before after convincing me to come with him to see the flowers.

I couldn't resist that. No matter how hard I tried to get away from them, or how much been getting on my nerves, I could only give in to those sweet brown orbs. There was something about them I just found so…hypnotizing, and it almost seemed like I had…seen them before. On several occasions, I'd thought of this, especially when he began his happy little rant about his old friend. Then again, I never seemed to get those eyes out of my head.

Waving it off, and telling him it was alright, I felt a light shade of pink make its way onto my pale cheeks as he giggled and went back to working. Mr. Germania had given us the hour to work on our papers, instead of giving us a usual lecture as they were due next week.

My pencil grazed across the blank piece of paper, still unable to write a single word down. I didn't know why, but for some reason I just couldn't think of anything I could possibly write about. That question…it haunted me; what _did _I love? Being as cold and tough as I was, it was a difficult subject to write about, and I just couldn't think of _anything_! Either that, or I had thousands of ideas flowing in the back of my mind that just hadn't sprouted yet, and I was just too afraid of what people would say when we read them in front of the class.

Sighing, I'd given up once more, lowering my head as I drew a single line across the paper that would make as a starting point at the tip of Feliciano's hair. That entire week, I'd learned something: when in doubt, just draw the thing you just can never seem to get out of your mind. Unfortunately for me, that just happened to be that crazy Italian.

Several more minutes passed by, and as wary as I was with my drawing, I was actually quite surprised Feliciano hadn't peered over my shoulder to take a look, or Mr. Germania hadn't come over to rat me out. Perfect timing.

As I sketched out his left eye, I suddenly felt a warm puff of hair brush against my neck, and sliver down my spine with a chill. I turned my head slowly, only to find Feliciano leaning over my shoulder with a giddy smile glued to his face.

"What are you drawing, Ludwig?" He asked me, trying to take a peek at the sketch as I immediately scrambled to cover it with my arms.

"Uh, oh, it's nothing, Feliciano. Go back to working on your paper." I whispered, my face burning with embarrassment.

"Ve~, but I'm already done! I finished yesterday when I got home!" He whispered, pulling out all two pages of his written essay. "Mine's all about Holy Rome; what's yours about?"

I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth at the sound of that name. I didn't know why, but it was just agonizing to ever listen to him speak about that boy. I knew that name, I'd heard it and recognized it so much, yet I just couldn't figure out where or why I'd heard it before. And it killed me to find out.

"That's at least good, but why do you _always _write or talk about him all the time? He's gone, isn't he?" I mumbled, involuntarily sounding more irritated than I wanted to. Although I was, I didn't want to hurt his feelings as he was so sensitive, and I defiantly didn't want to show it.

I didn't turn around to look at him, but I could sense an overwhelming amount of sadness flow out from his body, and move around me.

"Because…because I love him. I know it's hard to understand, but I said I'd wait for him to come back…but it's been eight years…" He said quietly.

Although feeling bad for him at that, with it almost impossible to not give in to that pitiful face, I continued to grow even more angry, as that same agonizing thought just wouldn't shut up.

"Well that was a long time ago, Feliciano, and I think it's time you let things go."

With that, he sighed, letting out one last sad "ve" before staying quiet for the rest of the class period.

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><p>That day at lunch, I walked to our usual table with Roderich, letting Feliciano get a "head start" in a lame attempt to at least have some peace for the day. Besides, although we got along, Roderich and I hadn't really talked much after knowing each other for a few weeks, since he was normally with Elizabeta and I was normally with Feliciano.<p>

"So, Ludwig, I see you and Feliciano are getting along quite well. He seems very attached to you." He brought up, breaking to awkward silence that surrounded us and pointing to the happy Italian as he ran ahead to the table.

"Yeah, a little _too_ attached…" I mumbled, shifting my eyes away from him and onto my bag of wurst.

Roderich looked over at me. "What do you mean; I thought you two were good friends?"

I sighed, knowing I'd have to explain the situation sooner or later. And if I was going to tell somebody, Roderich would be on the list of people I could trust. "We are, it's just…he's been acting a little too obsessed lately, you know. He clings to me constantly, and I know if I tell him to let me have some peace for five minutes, he'll cry. I've just been…annoyed by him somewhat…"

The teen nodded, letting yet another thick silence set in as neither of us really wanted to speak. "Elizabeta told me everything; about you and Feliciano, and your feelings for him. I'm surprised he hasn't caught on yet; most of us have since it's pretty obvious. You blush every time you see him."

_So it is that obvious…_ I thought to myself as he continued.

"He really cares about you a lot, Ludwig. You're like his best friend, even though you've only known him for a couple of weeks. He just really doesn't want anything to happen to you, after what happened with Holy Rome, and doesn't want to lose another friend."

That name sent a wave of annoyance through my body once more, and I gripped onto the bag tight to prevent from losing control. Why did it anger me so much; it just didn't make sense at all! Most of the reason why I was so angry in the first place was because of Feliciano, and he wasn't even there at the moment! Maybe…maybe it was because he was just another roadblock in the way. So maybe this decision I was debating on really was the right choice…

"Then if that's the case…it's going to be extremely difficult to do what I'm going to do tonight." I mumbled, not even daring to look at the Austrian walk beside me.

Roderich frowned, giving me a look as if he didn't know what I was talking about at all. Yet I knew he had at least some idea. "What do you mean?"

"Feliciano gave me his cell phone number last week, and I'm about to do something I know I'll regret…"

He sighed, doing the same as me and looking forward. "Well Ludwig…that's your decision, not mine. But don't be surprised when you have to face the consequences not long after."

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><p>I paced back and forth in my room frantically, clutching onto my sweating forehead with one hand and hold my cellphone in the other, Feliciano's name already pulled up. I stared at it for what seemed like hours, just stared, not even daring to press the call button.<p>

"Do I _really_ want to do this?" I asked myself quietly, finally finding the sense to stop pacing and sit on the side of my bed to rest. "O-Of course I do; why would I not after having to deal with this for the past two weeks? I-I mean I don't want to hurt him but…I don't want things to get even worse. It can't be that hard, can it? Roderich could be over-exaggerating a bit."

I knew just how sensitive Feliciano could be, I just could never fathom or expect how he'd react to this. He was extremely attached to me, and I knew he never wanted to lose me like he did that boy, but…he was also so optimistic and happy-go-lucky? How could someone like _that_ ever be so angry about something like this? Then again, it all went back to his sensitivity.

"Maybe…maybe I don't want to do this. It could really cause a lot of trouble…for both of us. But…maybe it's for the best. Besides, if he has the guts to kiss and hug me in front of everybody…then I have the guts to do this…"

It seemed like perfect timing. Just as I was about to set my phone aside, it suddenly began to vibrate in my hand. I looked at it, a little started by the sudden ringing, yet even more shocked at the name that appeared on the screen. _Feliciano Vargas._

_It's now or never…_ I thought, sighing as I hesitantly pressed the talk button and placed the device next to my ear, only to be welcomed by that thick Italian voice.

"Ve~, hi Ludwig! It's me, Feliciano, from school. I just wanted to call you to test if I got your number right! Ok, now that I know, what's up?" He said cheerfully, his voice even more screeching through the phone.

I felt my fist clench into tight balls, gritting my teeth and squeezing my eyes shut as sweat dripped down my forehead. "F-Feliciano…"

"Oh, I know! You're probably going to walk your dog; Blackie, right? But, maybe it's a little late for that since it's getting dark out. I can walk Aster with you tomorrow if you-"

"FELICIANO!" I snapped, trying to get his attention back into focus. Now there really was no turning back.

The other end of the line went silent for a moment, and I could almost see those sad brown eyes of his begin to glisten and his lip begin to quiver. "W-What is it Ludwig? What's wrong?" He asked me nervously, knowing something defiantly wasn't right. And he couldn't be any more spot-on.

"Feliciano…you have to stop this! You have to stop or else I'm going to lose my mind!" My eyes flew open, flaming with icy blue, as steam and guilt seemed to practically flow out of my body.

"S-Stop what?" He asked innocently, yet seriously.

"E-Everything! Everything that you've been doing for the past three weeks!"

I heard a soft whimper from the other line, assuming it was his with a sad "ve" following it. "L-Ludwig…what's going on? Why are you asking like this?" Feliciano asked, his voice shaking violently as if he were about to cry. Yet he probably was; he'd never heard me so angry before.

I sighed hard, knowing know I had to do it, and there was no way I could possibly get out of it. "F…Feliciano…I'm sorry, but…what would you say if I suddenly decided that…we really shouldn't be together anymore. You know, like as friends…"

The Italian stayed quiet for a moment, thinking. "Well, that's just silly, Ludwig, because that won't ever happen!" He replied naïvely, instantly letting go of the seriousness he had had before.

"But what if…what if it did happen, and it wasn't a joke…right now…" I said in nearly a whisper, trying to sound as subtle and sincere as possible, yet that wasn't exactly working too well at how angry I was.

"Ve~, w…what are you saying, Ludwig? What's going on; I'm so confused! Just please spit it out!" He cried, almost…aggressively it seemed. Desperate, almost.

I let out one last long sigh before speaking, and knowing even before I said it that it would come back to haunt me. "Feliciano…I'm sorry, but…I just don't know if I can stand this anymore. You, I mean, with your constant hugging and kissing and clinging and not to mention all those stories about Holy Rome. Maybe…I was just thinking that it was probably best if we…kept our distance from each other for a while. What I mean by that is…not really even speaking to each other at all…"

Feliciano let out a horrifying whimper through the phone, and yet as naïve and oblivious as he was, this was one of those things he finally understood. "L-Ludwig…" He started, squeaking with his voice much higher than usual. "Are you saying that…we can't hang out anymore or talk? B-But, then we wouldn't even be considered friends! That's hardly a friendship at all!"

"…Exactly….I-It's hard to explain but…I just need a break from it all, is all…"

The Italian, attempting to find his words, only sounded like a bumbling, horrified mess, which blended in with the soft sobs and saddened "ve's" he had all let out. "No…No please, Ludwig, please don't do this! I-I won't do that stuff anymore; I promise I won't! J-Just please don't leave me; I couldn't bear it without you! You're my best friend!" He pleaded, and knew at that point he was crying.

_So maybe Roderich really was right about him…_ I thought, a strike of pain and guilt hitting me with every sob he let out.

"It…It won't do any good, Feliciano. I'm sorry, but it's for that best. You don't need me; you still have Alfred, Arthur, Elizabeta, Roderich, and Kiku, plus your brother and many others. And I have Gilbert. Besides, I just want some time to myself without you always having to be there, too." Those last words seemed almost harsh. I was so caught up with everything as I continued that I had only just realized that I had completely turned down his offer.

Feliciano stuttered frantically, attempting to find is words as he choked on them with hard sobs. "L-Lud…I…Ludwig, I…But I need _you_ too, Ludwig! I…_I-I love you_, _Ludwig_! Please, just please don't do this! I'll do anything, just…I love you, Ludwig!" He screamed, desperately pleading me for me to rethink. That was the most serious I had ever heard him before. Those words...he really meant them. He was being completely serious about all this.

Scarlet bit my pale ears at the sound of those words. _I love you._ Did that mean…no, no; it couldn't! Those vicious words replayed in my ears like a broken record, yet were hardly even audible as my heart pounded so vigorously in my chest my ears had begun throbbing. _I love you_…I wanted so desperately to say those words back to him; to scream it out to the world for I knew it was true! But, that was nearly impossible at this point. There was no way to back down know; and I knew the explanation I'd have to give would tear him apart even more.

Yet for the first time in years, I felt a thick lump begin to well up in my throat. I couldn't even remember that last time I had cried it'd been so long ago, yet hearing those agonizing cries escape from is throat almost made me feel his pain as well.

I bit my lip, speaking in a crackling whisper as my words had suddenly become choked as well. "I'm sorry, Feliciano…"

The teen's sobs had seemed to go up an extra octave, turning into shrilling cries that rang through my ear drums. So he really did love me that much, huh…?

"LUDWIG, PLEASE!"

At that point, I had almost begun to rethink myself. Just hearing him so shattered and helpless…it made me feel almost cruel.

Before the Italian could go into more pleads, I could no longer bear those sobs any longer. Hesitantly, I cut off the line, ending the call to prevent from losing control. Yet even doing so, it did nothing but only make things worse.

Breathing heavily in rage, I scowled as I tightened my grip on the device in my hand, baring my teeth at the picture of the two of I'd saved (Acutally, _he _was the one who had saved it when he took my phone for a second while I wasn't looking the week before.) as his profile picture. Feliciano had his arms wrapped around me, beaming happily as he held up his had to make a peace sign, while I only stood there awkwardly with a lopsided smile and pink painted across my cheeks. He seemed so…happy and oblivious back then. Even I seemed the slightest bit happy, yet I knew that smile was only a mere, fake façade. But now...I'd shattered him...

Squeezing the phone even tighter, to the point it had nearly cracked from the strength of my large hands. I whispered his name one last time before I let out an agonizing yell. Standing up in full raging, not even knowing what to do with myself anymore or how to control the beast that had taken over, I chucked the phone against the wall, watching as it shattered into broken pieces of nothingness and fell to the floor with small taps.

I huffed heavily with anger, unable to tame myself and calm down, as I involuntarily slammed my fist against the wall, letting out a howl of pain as I gripped onto my bloody knuckles and fell to my knees. Why was this so hard for me; actually being able to let go? Why was I acting like everything that had happened in the past weeks was crumbling and slowly being erased? Why was I acting like _him_?

Yet that's when it hit me.

Feliciano had acted so strongly about it, because just like Roderich had said: he didn't want to lose somebody again; especially somebody so dear and close to him like Holy Rome. Yet before that, I hadn't even _realized _he had felt so strongly about me; not like he had with that old friend of his. I was…I was like Holy Roman Empire to him…and I had absolutely no idea…

I was acting the same…because no matter how much I tried to deny it, I felt the exact same way…And I couldn't help but feel angry and guilty at the fact that I had completely broken him.

_I'm acting this way…because it's never easy letting go of somebody you love; no matter how strong I may seem… _I thought to myself, clutching onto my throbbing head as sticky crimson dripped from my hand and down my cheek.

Sitting in utter silence, the slightest sound of a creaking door made its way into the room, and I didn't even dare to look at who it was. I already knew all too well.

"Hey, West, is everything alright in hear? I heard screaming and then something slam against the wall." Gilbert asked me, peaking his head through the door.

I snorted, continuing to look down as I felt the rage begin to boil under my skin again. "Get out, Gilbert." I hissed through my teeth, hoping he would follow my order and just leave me be.

Yet apparently that wasn't enough for him, as he walked in boldly and took a good look at my wounded arm. "Whoa, West, what did you do to your arm?" He asked, walking over to observe it closer.

About to lose control again with my fingers digging into the carpet, I stopped him, knowing if he got too close I'd go after him, too. "Get OUT, Gilbert! Do you now know the meaning of those words?" I spat, giving him an icy glare as I shot my head up, baring my teeth at him fiercely.

Gilbert backed away. "Whoa, calm down. I just wanted to see what-"

"GET OUT, GILBERT!" I screamed, actually getting to my feet this time to throw him out. Apparently at that point he had finally gotten the message, and even though he was still superior over me being older, I was still much, much stronger.

With the rage back and steam practically coming out of my ears, I paced the room even more, kicking my closet door recklessly as magma spurted out from me. Only after a few good kicks did the door fling open, and as I could no longer take my anger out on it I only scowled at everything that lay inside. Including that lone green sweatshirt Feliciano had worn around his neck on the first day of school, and had given back to me after lunch.

After a few more seconds of deep glaring as my guilt-ridden rage finally flared down, I watched as an old push-broom suddenly fell from the closet, sending a cloud of dust poofing out from under it. That was odd; when had that gotten there? I never really went through my closet all too much, as I had mostly used it for storing things, but I never remembered putting a push-broom in it.

I walked over warily to observe it, crouching down to my knees to take a closer look. It looked fairly old from what I could tell, with what seemed like pounds of dust collected on it, and it being the size fit for a young child. Looking down, I also noticed a small cardboard box lying next to it, "_Ludwig's Memories"_ scribbled on it in what looked like Gilbert's handwriting.

I set the broom down, picking up the box and opening it cautiously as I didn't know what exactly it held. It seemed pretty light, so there couldn't be too much stuff lying around in it. Yet as I opened it, all I found was a small black hat, a child's at that, and a matching old cloak lying underneath it. What was something like _that _doing in there? Why would I have a child's hat and clothes lying around in a box in my closet? And according to that box...it was mine...

Picking up the broom once more, I noticed something engraved on the side of it, craved in a young child's handwriting that wasn't even close to Gilbert or mine's. It almost looked like…Feliciano's…

I turned it over, attempting to make out the sloppy scribbles. As I decoded them, my eyes went wide at what I saw, my jaw falling agape with awe.

_To: My love, Holy Roman Empire._

_From: Feliciano Vargas._

_Take care, and please come back. I'll be waiting._

"T-This has to be a mistake. There's no _possible _way this can be mine! B-Besides, there could be another Feliciano Vargas in the world! I-It's just a coincidence!" I stuttered, trying to process everything I had just found and saw through my mind.

Yet that's when everything finally started to make sense, and the memories all started to flow back into my mind. It was so clear now; everything started to fit! Everything Feliciano said about that boy…I remembered now. Everything that had seemed so familiar I knew because he had said them to me when I was seven years old. A-And that push-broom…It was a gift from him at our final farewell. That Italian girl I was so in love with…was Feliciano.

With it all coming back to me, and everything finally starting to fill it, it had only just occurred to me that I was being jealous and angry because of myself. I recognized that name so much…because it was my name. I was Feliciano's lost love…Holy Roman Empire…

* * *

><p>…You people have no freaking how hard it was to make Italy not turn into me…Yeah, this whole scene is actually really similar to something that happened to me last year, so it was extremely hard to write without making Italy turn into myself. But…I finally got off my lazy writer's block butt and finished this freaking chapter! Yes, I was on writer's block with this story, that's why I didn't update for so long. And I REALLY hope it won't happen again!<p>

Apparently I'm still used to writing Apocalypse of an Empire, because this chapter is freakishly longer than the others, and I'm paranoid that it wasn't good. But, I think it turned out pretty ok! And I'm sorry if I made Germany sound like a jerk…I seriously had no intention of doing that. XD I told you there was angst…

I promise the next chapter will not be nearly as angsty or confusing. I have about half of it already written, I just need to re-edit it and finish typing it up. Until then, review, and enjoy the rest of the freaking hot summer. Hopefully be back soon! :D


	8. Chapter 8: Shattered Glass

The moment you've all been waiting for…chapter 8! Actually, this was the moment _I _was waiting for. The reason why I wrote it before seven was because I was so excited _to _write it. And trust me, this one has got to be my favorite so far…because I my entire cabin was wondering why exactly I was squealing to so much when I was writing it (And obviously I couldn't show them, because 1: It's a Christian camp, what do you expect? 2: …They would have all thought I was crazy…) XD. The first part I completely improved, so that part was HARD to come up with. And it's kind of historically inaccurate, so...yeah...Enjoy and R&R! :D

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Axis Powers: Hetalia.**

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><p>I could only stare down in pure, utter shock at the box that lay in front of, my jaw to the floor and blue eyes wide.<p>

"I-I'm Holy Rome…" I said in a mere whisper, gently pulling out that small black hat I had worn so long ago. "I-I'm Holy Rome…"

My breathing had gone short and I felt my hands go shaky with shock. This…this whole thing…it was just so unreal…Yet as I had finally gotten my senses back, it had suddenly occurred to me why exactly I had never known about any of this. Gilbert had apparently kept it a secret.

"GILBERT~!" I yelled, clutching onto the hat. "I NEED TO SEE YOU FOR A MINUTE!"

Not a second later did Gilbert come striding into the room, a cautious smirk plastered onto his face. It had been as if he'd been listening the entire time…

"Yo, West, you all calmed down now? You aren't going to kill me, are you? Pfft, I'm too _awesome _to be killed anyway!" He asked boldly, leaning against the side of the wall in pride.

I rolled my eyes at his arrogance, shaking my head and shifting my eyes back to the fragile memento in my hand. "No. It's just…what's this old hat doing in my closet? I mean, it _does _say it's mine." I told him, waving it in front of him to give him a better look.

Crimson eyes went wide as the albino stared down at it in what seemed like awe, almost surprised you could say that I'd finally found it. "Well, yeah, it is yours West; you wore it all the time when you were a little kid. I couldn't get you to take that hat or cloak off even if it killed me!"

"Yes, I'm…aware that it _is _mine now, but…I don't remember wearing anything close to this when I was younger. Actually…I hardly remember anything of my past…"

Gilbert snickered quietly, talking a few steps closer to me to observe the small clothing. "Well that's weird, because it's defiantly yours! Look, I even remember writing "Ludwig Beilschimdt" on the back of it! Kesesese~, everything's probably all foggy to you; you think way too much!"

Sighing, I took the small push-broom I had found before in my hands, realizing that he either wasn't getting the point, or just wasn't getting _to_ the point. "That's not the point, Gilbert; take a look at this push-broom that was also by the box. Read what's written on it; it's defiantly neither of ours, because I know what yours and mine look like. That's…that's Feliciano's handwriting…" I handed him the push-broom, knowing I'd never get the end of it when he figured out that not only was _I_ in love with the Italian, but he was with me as well.

As my older brother looked it over, scanning the messing writing carefully, his eyes immediately went wide with shock, and he dropped the broom to the ground with his mouth horrified and agape.

"Wait a minute…if that…then that means…_YOU _were that guy _FELI _was always talking about at school? If that's the case then…Pfft, KESESESESESE~, WEST; YOU AND THAT LITTLE ITALIAN REALLY _ARE _A COUPLE, HAHAHA! Oh man, I saw this coming, I _totally _saw this coming! My awesome senses _knew _it was him, hahaha!" He laughed, snorting obnoxiously as he banged his hand against the wall, clutching onto his stomach while coughing hoarsely.

My cheeks went warm with embarrassment at that, flushing pink as I glared at him. "It's not funny, Gilbert! This is insane; and we were _never _lovers in the first place! We…Feliciano and I aren't even friends anymore…I told him so not even ten minutes ago…"

Apparently he'd completely ignored everything I had just said, as his he continued to break down into fits of laughter, with his face going light purple from lack of oxygen. "Oh man, West, this is _hilarious~!_ I knew there was something about that name I recognized. Jeez, I can't believe I didn't see it earlier; you wouldn't shut up about him when I first found you!"

My eyes went wide at his words, a wave of confusion washing over me as they process through my mind. When he _found me?_!

Gilbert, realizing exactly what he had admitted on accident, immediately clamped his hand over his mouth, his pale skin draining even paler with his blood-red eyes growing in size. "Uh, da…YOU HEARD NOTHING!" He stuttered, and I got to my feet with both hands on my hips as I began to move closer to him.

"Gilbert…what are you talking about~; what do you mean 'when you found me'?" I asked him, towering over him to increase the intimidation to get him to spill. Although a year apart, Gilbert was about 3 inches shorter than me, which gave me a high advantage over him when I need to be superior. Besides, I was _much _more frightening than him in the first place.

The latter began to stumble backwards, attempting to reach the handle of the door before I could lock my hand on it. I watched as a ball of sweat dripped down from his silvery hair, slithering down his neck, and he began to grow more and more nervous.

"J-Just forget I said anything, Ludwig!" He said, trying to release my grip on the handle so he could escape.

My name. It was something I rarely ever heard coming out of my older brother's mouth. This was serious now…

"Gilbert…what are you hiding from me?" I asked again, my icy eyes cold and penetrating as he tried to avert his eyes from their steel gaze.

Gilbert swallowed hard, his forehead growing moist with perspiration and his crimson eyes growing dangerously afraid as if they were to say "I'm screwed". What could possibly be so bad that was making _Gilbert_ of all people this unwilling to speak?

"I-It's nothing; seriously! Now go make o-…_up_ with your little boyfriend already!"

That was the last straw. I slammed my palm against the wall, pinning the squeaking teen against it as he tried to escape the immensely grip that surrounded him. My eyes went frigid with dark rage and curiosity, and my brow furrowed as I looked him dead in the eye with a sense of seriousness I thought I'd never meet.

"Gilbert…What. Are. You. Hiding?" I mumbled sternly, locking him from moving.

Finally realizing all hope was lost in attempting to escape, Gilbert came to his senses and sighed in defeat, lowering his head with his light bangs falling over his eyes. "Dammit…I knew I'd have to tell you sooner or later."

Taking in one last gulp of air, he continued, going into the story I'd been oblivious to for nine years, and thought would never be brought up ever in my entire lifetime. "West…There's something…I never told you…"

I released him, crossing my arms and raising a brow. "I'm listenting…"

"Well…It's just that…We found you. Well, technically it was _me _who found you, because I was the one there at the time. Anyway, I found you lying on the ground unconscious one day cut up pretty badly about nine years ago, and you apparently had no memory of anything that had happened before. I figured that since it was by the Berlin border, that you were living somewhere in there before when the riots and fights started. All you would say was "Feliciano" repetitively until I finally snapped you out of it and made you start saying something _other _than that little Italian dude's name. It didn't look like you had any parents, since nobody had claimed a missing child at the time and you couldn't remember anything, so we just kind of…took you in…"

He sighed once more. "The point is, West, that you're adopted. We, the Beilschmidt's, adopted you into our family and convinced you that you really were biological to us. After all, you _do _look like Dad a lot! Kesesesesese~!"

At that, my mouth went agape, blue eyes growing wide in shock. I had a feeling there was something going on like this, but _never _had I suspected it to turn out something quite like…this!

"_BRUDER!_ Why didn't you ever _TELL ME_?" I yelled, involuntarily sounding more angry than I wanted to. Then again, I could feel the hot anger bubbling below my body at the thought of the albino keeping such a secret hidden from me for half my life.

The latter moved away, cowering slightly as he tried to escape the wrath of my rising rage. "Gah; I'm sorry, West! We didn't tell you because we knew how angry you'd get, and we all know how bad your temper is with everything!" He cried, bracing for impact as his little yellow chick he called Gilbird circled around in head contently.

As bitter as I was at the moment, it wasn't the only thing I was in awe about. Putting together the pieces of the puzzle, I realized that everything Feliciano had said, everything Mr. Germania said, and everything all of the others said was completely, and in some strange way, connected to my unknown past that had vanished the night Gilbert found me.

With my anger settling, my eyes grew wide once more. "Gilbert…Mr. Germania said something about him having a grandson just like me, who even knew a little Italian boy with my same name…Do you…know what this means?" I asked him in nearly a whisper.

Gilbert tipped his head to the side, processing everything through that thick skull of his before finally realizing exactly what I meant by that. A wide grin spread across his face, and like mine, his eyes began to grow. "Wait…so that means…Ah, sweet, our English teacher is our freaking awesome _grandpa_! Yes; easy A for the rest of the year!" He beamed, celebrating to himself as Gilbird gave him a confused look.

I rolled me eyes, facepalming at his childness, although I had to admit I was fairly excited myself. No wonder the teacher had been so kind these past weeks!

"Bruder, that's not the point. The point is that not only is Mr. Germania our grandfather, but also…Feliciano and I are…lost lovers…A-And everything is starting to make sense now; it's all coming back! I said goodbye to him, and then I got pulled into one of the riots happening on the streets and got knocked unconscious! Yes; that's the only explanation for it!"

My brother only chuckled, crossing his arms with a satisfied smirk glued to his face. "Well West, just remember; it was the awesome me who told you all this stuff in the first place, and that I was _completely _right. And now, you're remembering all of those crappy memories you've got shoved up into your head!"

With that, he walked out the room with a smile on his face and Gilbird trailing behind him, yet I was in too much utter joy and shock to even notice or care about what he had said to me.

With even more memories flooding back now, it occurred to me that I wasn't the only oblivious one in this situation. Feliciano had told me he was still in love with Holy Rome…which technically meant he was in love with me. Yet he just didn't know it yet.

I couldn't help the small grin that tugged on my lips and slowly creped across my face as I gazed down at it longer. This only thing; this whole predicament…It was just so amazing and unreal! The teen I was in love with, Feliciano Vargas, was the one I had loved so dearly and much so long ago…

"I am…Holy Roman Empire…" I repeated, never taking me eyes off of the push-broom that lay rested against the side of the wall. "Feliciano's…Holy Roman Empire…"

Just then, the faint sound of a ringing doorbell came from downstairs, and I froze immediately at what I was doing. After a couple more seconds of silence, I heard it again, realizing under all of my euphoria and bliss that this person was no pranker, as the third ring brought me to know this person had to have persistent for a reason. Yet why were they out so late at night?

I set my belongings gently on the floor, stumbling quickly down the stairs and calling out to Gilbert that I would get it. There was no response, nor was he lounging on the couch like he normally would. Huh…a private invitation was about to take place…

I opened that front door cautiously, not knowing that with my elder brother being so quiet all of a sudden if this was just a prank or the real thing at such a late hour in the night. Yet to my surprise, with wide eyes nervous stood a teary Feliciano, tear stains running down his cheeks with those sweet chocolate eyes that I adored so much overflowing with pure, utter sorrow.

Now why would he of all people be standing at my door in the middle of the night crying like that?

I watched as fresh tears welled up in the corner of his eyes, his bottom lip quivering and shaking violently. There had to be a reason for this; especially since he was here at my house. And it almost made me feel…guilty…

"H-Hi Ludwig. Sorry it's so late outside, b-but I just wanted to give you back the flower you gave me last week. I don't want it anymore…" He said shakily, shoving the withered summer blossom in my face as tears spilt through his squeezed eyes, and he clenched his teeth to prevent from sobbing.

Sharp pain shot through my body at that, not even know the Italian would have the guts or will to do something like that. Yet it seemed as though he wasn't too thrilled about it, either.

Between that, though, all I could do was smile as I watched him. In fact, I had hardly realized I had been grinning like an idiot that entire time I had been standing at the door!

_I am Holy Roman Empire. _I thought contently as I gently held the fragile flower in my hand. _I am his long-lost love._

Feliciano looked up at me, letting out a quiet sniffle as I gazed down at him as well. Once again, I found, myself falling into those beautiful, dark pools of brown as soft moonlight danced around us; hypnotized for they were so stunning in the stars. It was now or never.

"Ludwig…w-why are you smiling?" He asked, a bewildered expression spreading across his face that almost seemed hurt.

I could take it no longer. This agony of overjoy and temptation had slowly taken over my body, and now I was about to lose it. For I was the one with the true answer to what happened to Holy Roman Empire, and why he had disappeared. I _was _him.

Those eyes were slowly taking over me; mesmerizing with a deep hue of brown that I had never experienced before since I had first met him. Although this time, they felt almost special in the private dim light, glistening with tears in the pitch moonlight with a bright beauty that seemed to make me falter. I had to do this _now_.

I cupped my hands to his cheeks, wiping away the stray tears that escaped from the Italians eyes and streamed down his cheek. Light scarlet fell onto his face, a strike of confusion falling over him.

_I am his guardian._

"Feliciano…you have very pretty eyes…" I whispered almost inaudibly, brushing away another tear that had fallen.

With that, as he squeaked out my name one last time, I finally leaned down and pressed my lips gently against his.

* * *

><p>"W-What was that for?" Feliciano stuttered as we broke apart, his eyes fluttering open and his cheeks stained a thousand shades of dark crimson. His expression was a look of sorry; confusion at that, and just didn't know what exactly was going on.<p>

I only continued to smile, a wave of relief and triumph washing over me at the fact that I had finally gathered up the courage to finally kiss him.

"Feliciano…I…I'm Holy Roman Empire! I'm you're long-lost love!" I exclaimed, chuckling a little bit with excitement as I was getting close to near-hysteric.

The Italian shook his head, shock and sadness find it's face into the mix of confusion and blush. "N-No you're not. You're…You're Ludwig; Ludwig Beilschimdt!"

This time, it was my turn to shake my head, still smiling hard. Violently… "Y-You don't understand, Feliciano; I _am _Holy Rome! Gilbert told me everything; I lost all my memory as a child during one of the riots going on in Berlin. He found me, adopted me, and took me in with his parents; even Mr. Germania said he was almost positive his grandson's name was Ludwig, and he loved a little Italian boy! This means our English teacher is my grandfather, and we're lost lovers! And now…I'm here. I've found you." I explained, clutching onto his hands now as almost everything I had just said seemed almost unfathomable to comprehend.

Feliciano stepped back, angry tears streaming down his face was he was confused. "N-No you're not; s-stop lying to me, Ludwig! He wasn't like you! He didn't hurt his friends!" He squeaked out, placing shaky hands in front of his face.

Those words hit me hard. It wasn't like I…wanted to do it…It was more of that I had to do it…for the sake and safety of myself before I completely lost it and every barrier I had tried to hold up had crumbled. Then again, I had completely forgotten the sensitivity and hurt that would be in the Italian's reaction…

Before the latter could move back any further, I gripped onto his arm and pulled him towards me, placing my hand on his face as hot blush tinged the tip of my ears. He tried to break lose, just as Gilbert had done before, yet had no luck with me hand held so tightly onto his petite arm. There was only one way to convince him…yet I never thought I'd actually say it now.

"Feliciano…I-I love you, and I wouldn't lie to you ever. Please believe me; I'm telling you the truth! I-I even have the push-broom you gave me before I left, and it had your name carved into it! Don't you get it; we're lovers! We can actually be together now!" I cried, leaning in to swiftly kiss him once again.

Before our lips could touch, he pushed me away, stumbling to the ground shakily with a thud as he huffed with anger and hot tears spilled down his face. I'd never seen him so…angry…

"_No, Ludwig_! Get away from me; I never want to see you again! You hurt me; and I don't think I'll ever, _ever_, forgive you for it!" He got to his feet, beginning to stumble away as I tried to reason with him.

"Feli…-"

"Screw off!"

With that, he retreated into the night, sprinting towards his house as his light jacket trailed behind him, and I heard the soft sobs that had escaped from his mouth in the process.

At that, as I watched him disappeared, boiling rage began to bubble below my skin, dangerously close to popping as my eye began to twitch. My fists formed into tight balls, squeezing against my skin as I shut my eyes

My first and only love, gone for the second time over. This time, never coming back.

Upon realization of this, I stormed back into the house, slamming the door shut as glass from the upper shelves shattered from the impacted and sprinkled around me feet. Gilbert immediately came barreling down the staircase, his jaw falling to the floor at the sight of the broken glass.

"Whoa, West, what the hell did you do?" He yelled, cautiously stepping over the shades that lay scattered around the floor as he made his way towards me. Yet his eyes went wide once more as he saw me furious expression. "Hey, West…you okay?"

The teen waved his hand in front of my face, poking me persistently as he tried to get me to speak. It only aggravated me more, though, and when I could no longer take him, every sense and control in my body had finally snapped, and I grabbed hold of his neck and pinned him against the wall.

"Do you honestly think I'm _okay_, Gilbert? Do you think everything is fine when I find out the guy I'm in love with hates me. _DO YOU SERIOUSLY THINK I'M OK?_" I hissed, cobalt flames spurting out from my eyes as I bared me teeth.

Gilbert gasped for air, choking as he desperately pleaded for oxygen. "N-No…I-It' not ok…" He coughed, his face slowly going purple as my grip grew stronger on his neck out of the uncontrollable rage that was pouring out from me.

I released him, a look of horror falling onto my face as he slid to the ground in a fit of coughs. My brother…my own brother…I was on the brink of destruction with him. Just one more minute of holding him against that wall with no air to help support him would have probably killed him…

"G-Gilbert…I-I'm so sorry…" I whispered, retreating up the stairs before I could do any more harm to him. My anger over Feliciano wasn't worth losing a brother that meant so much to me.

"W-West…Ludwig, wait!"

Yet before he could go after to me, I slammed the door of my room shut, sliding to the floor against it as I buried my face into my knees. And for the first time in nine years, I had cried.

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><p>Jeez, what is up with me and this connection fetish lately? And are you guys noticing that pattern of how much I love describing eyes? :) Yeah, it's kind of a habit...I'm sorry...So, kind of OOCness in this chapter, I'm sorry, and the "riots in Berlin" thing I randomly came up with, and has NOTHING to do with the riots in England. Just remember, I've had this idea in my head since April or May, so it was long before any of that even started. I almost made it Munich, but I figured Berlin would have been at least SOMEWHAT historically accurate...And why did I almost pick Munich over all of the cities in Germany? Because I'm a Fullmetal Alchemist nerd...that's why…<p>

Anyway, I'm really sorry for the delay on this! I had to get all of my stuff for the anime con I went to the other day, and I've been focusing on school work. But GOSH this chapter was so much fun to write! I never knew how much fun it is to write Prussia until now…Like, this thing is supposed to be a freaking drama/romance, but he makes it all the more funny! :D I especially enjoyed writing the kiss~. :) (Pfft, obviously! Hardcore GerIta fan right here!)

Yeah, so, there are only 1-2 chapters left in this, and I'm sad yet happy I'm finishing it. Sad, because I've REALLY had fun writing it, and happy, because I have THIRTEEN MORE CHAPTERS LEFT IN RUNAWAY HOME, DANG IT! D: So…review please~! Reviews are amazing people~! :D Oh, and for all those who want to know…"Feliciano…you have very pretty eyes…" is my favorite line in the entire story. :)


	9. Chapter 9: Advice in His Favor

Ok, because I'm lazy and don't feel like doing my algebra homework right now, I'm writing this! :D Yeah...so I had no freaking clue how I was going to write this chapter, so there's a little jumping around from scene to scene instead of one solid setting, just saying. But at least it's not the last chapter yet~. :) Enjoy and R&R!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Axis Powers: Hetalia.**

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><p>That day at school as the weekend passed and Monday came, for the first time since I had first set foot in Hetalia High School, I was nervous. Timid, I must say, as I walked through it shamefully with Feliciano's sad, frightened face glued to the back of my mind.<p>

I hurt him; From this day forward he hated me until the end, and I just couldn't stand that thought as I had realized I was still very much in love with the Italian. No matter what, I couldn't help myself; it was involuntary, ans he just didn't understand that even after I had explained it to him last Friday night. Yet why did I have to be so…straightforward with my actions?

My cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment as I walked through the hall with a typical, apathetic expression on my face, trying to façade the rising shame that began to bubble under my skin. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't seem to erase the kiss Feliciano and I had shared from my head.

It was like a broken record; a forbidden, haunting one at that, and it was mentally driving me to the point where I was about to go insane. His lips…so soft and smooth, had finally,_ finally_, grazed across mine; hesitant, yet something that had let sparks fly in all directions and a major checkpoint left in my past. His touch still lay on my lips, and as I pressed my fingers gently onto them, it felt as if everything was happening all over again.

Facepalming, I attempted to get him out of my mind, his words and features spinning around like an insane cyclone, and I banged my head against one my books to erase all thoughts of the petite teen.

"Gah, why can't I just forget about him; why can't I just move on already?" I hissed, slamming the hard cover against my forehead, yet still having no luck in getting the Italian from being glued into the back of my mind.

"Because you love him."

A wave of sudden jolt and scare ran through my body at the sound of that voice, and I spun around only to see a rather pitied Gilbert standing in front of me, his arms resting behind his back with crimson eyes averted to the floor, and Gilbird perched on his shoulder.

What the _hell_ was up with him today?

"G-Gilbert-!" I managed to stutter out, embarrassed as he had heard everything I had just said, and there was no way of taking it back or getting out of it now. Yet before I could finish, he cut me off.

"I know about what happened Friday night, West; I could hear you crying in your room last night. I know about Feliciano leaving you…and how much you really loved him. It was that kiss that scared him off, wasn't it?"

Pink turned scarlet as I stared back at him, my mouth agape in awe that he had actually known that much. "H-How did you…-"

"You're not very good at covering things up, now are you, West? First of all, you _told _me you loved him. Second...Dude, honestly, it's not like I don't see things from outside my window." At that last sentence he smirked, satisfied with my dismay at my secret being blown, and my shame-ridden face glowing even more red.

I averted my eyes to the ground, letting the blush take over as there was nothing to hide it with my blonde bangs gelled back as they usually were. "What's your point, Gilbert?"

"My point is that you just have to tell him how much you miss him; tell him how you really feel! If you keep going around moping like this, that little Italian is going to hate you forever!" He exclaimed, looking at me now as he waved his hands frantically and his voice grew high.

I continued to look down, sighing and crossing my arms at his idea. "I already told him, Gilbert; he already knows that I love him. I tried to convince him otherwise not to be afraid…but he just wouldn't listen to me when I told him I'm Holy Roman Empire…"

My brother gripped onto my shoulders, tossing me back and forth wildly as I spoke. "You have to _prove _to him you're that dude, West! He won't believe you if you just _tell _him! And kissing him isn't going to help either!" He cried, shaking me violently as he tried to get my full attention.

People were staring now, and as the awkward tension began to rise, I pushed him away as he continued. "I've been in this situation before; I know how to deal with these types of things! All you have to do is tell your true feelings to that person!" Gilbert paused for a moment, uneasily standing there as a hint of faint pink crept onto his cheeks. "For instance…let's just _say _I ask Elizabeta out, not _knowing _she had a boyfriend. I had to prove to her my true feelings; and I did it! Of course, though, that left me with a bruise from a frying pan on the back of my head…" He admitted, rubbing the back of his head as he shifting his eyes to the ground.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Wait…you have a crush on Elizabeta? _My_ friend Elizabeta?"

"That not what I'm saying, West! All you have to do is just admit your absolute true feelings to somebody by _proving _it to them! One crappy kiss isn't going to do anything; you have to go _deeper_! It's the only way it'll work!" He screeched, breathing heavily as he finished from lack of oxygen, with the tint of purple on his face covering up the blush. Was it…normal, for Gilbert to be acting this strange?

"Wow, Gilbert, I've never seen you this…frantic, before. But…I don't want to hurt Feliciano any more than I already have. Even if I do that, he still won't listen. Either that, or Lovino with attack me…" I told him with a sigh, walking away slowly.

Apparently, though, the albino wasn't giving up just yet. "West, wait!"

I turned back around to face him, watching as he stopped me and began to calm down slightly. "Ja?"

"You…won't tell Elizabeta about this, will you?" He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck with irritation as stubborn pink tinged the tip of his nose and ears.

I nodded. "No, I won't tell her. I don't even think she'll want to talk to me today after what happened last night…" As I continued to walk away, I realized there was one last thing I had to say to my brother. "And Gilbert…"

"Yeah, what is it?"

I paused, letting out a long sigh as I gathered my words, and spoke. "I'm…sorry for what I did two nights ago. I didn't mean to go ballistic."

Gilbert smirked, giving me a thumbs up. "All's good, West! Now go get that little…_ex_-boyfriend of yours!" He beamed, trotting off in the opposite direction as Gilbird circled around his head.

With a sigh of relief escaping from my mouth, I continued walking to my first class. Yet as I walked, I couldn't help but think of the uneasiness Gilbert had when he had forgiven me…

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><p>"<em>You have to <em>prove_ to him you're that dude, West! He won't believe you if you just _tell_ him! And kissing him isn't going to help either!"_

Those words ran through my mind repetitively, and I couldn't help but wonder exactly _how _I was going to prove to Feliciano that I meant what I said. Obviously, according to Gilbert, "physical contact of the lips" wasn't exactly going to help my case, and I needed to go even "deeper". Yet what did he mean by going "deeper"?

Health case was as uncomfortable as ever as the awkward tension between the Italian and I lay thick hanging in the air, and I had to control myself from looking back at those sad brown eyes. Other people could sense this tension as well, and I could sense it from the small glances people had given to me and the soft whispers of rumors being spread around. Information got around the school quickly, didn't it?

Yet the strongest tension of all came direction from Lovino's chair, as I watched as he glared at me with fiery daggers the burned into the back of my skull. Judging by the way he was doing this, and the fact that it was much stronger than any of the scowls he had given me before, I assumed Feliciano had told him.

"Hey, potato bastard, I've got a something I want to say to you after class." He hissed quietly as Mr. Rome wrote our notes on the board, aloof to our conversation going on in the back of the room.

I did the same, glaring at him with our eyes locked onto each other's in a burning inferno. "Yeah, and what is it?"

"I know what you did you Feliciano after school on Friday, and you're about to get jacked up even more once I'm finished with you."

For once, his threat actually intimidated me, despite having a good amount of strength and superiority over him. This time, he was _mad_, and there was no escaping the dark rage surrounding the furious Italian. When Lovino was mad, he was _mad_.

Trying to seem only apathetic, I continued to scowl at him, ignoring the notes we had to take as his battle went on for the rest of the hour's passing.

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><p>As the bell rang and everybody fled to go to their next class, it was only Lovino and I who had stayed, continuing to shoot daggers at each other as we walked out of the room and out of sight from Mr. Rome. Lovino was the man's grandson, and if he ever upset him by picking a fight, there would never be an end to the conflict that would rise.<p>

"Alright bastard, listen up. You hurt my brother, and I hurt you back. YOU HEAR ME?" With that, he threw a punch, socking me in the left cheek as I was caught off guard by his actions, and I stumbled back a little.

With rage boiling up below my body, my icy eyes went toxic, and I slammed with fist into his mouth as I grabbed hold of his neck and shook him around like a ragdoll, just as Gilbert had down to me before.

"I never meant to hurt him; you don't understand that! I love your brother, I'd never hurt him!" I spat, flinging him around as he began choking me as well.

"I TOLD YOU TO SAY AWAY FROM HIM, AND WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU _SHATTER _HIM! HE WAS UP ALL NIGHT CRYING BECAUSE OF YOU, POTATO FREAK! NOW FACE THE CONSEQUENCES, DAMMIT!"

"STOP IT!"

At the sound of that cry and the sudden fighting gone with silence setting in, both Lovino and I turned in unison only to find our eyes resting on a frightened Feliciano. "Stop fighting; please! One of you will get hurt! Now let go of Ludwig, fratello!"

My mouth cracked open slightly at the shock of him actually trying to help me, and the elder of the two brothers reluctantly released his grip on my neck, and I did the same to him. The bitter taste of blood began pouring into my mouth as I let out a hoarse cough, and sticky crimson seeped out from the cut on my cheek and trickled down it.

"What are you doing here, Feliciano?" Lovino asked sternly, taking a step towards his brother.

Feliciano looked as if he were shaking, yet he continued to stand his ground, despite having that intimidated look in his eyes that I knew so well. "Please…just leave him alone, fratello. Go to your next class; you'll get in trouble…"

The older Italian huffed, giving his brother a small shove as he stomped down the hall, muttering and cursing under his breath as he flipped us both the bird, and disappeared down the hall.

As I gathered up the rest of my belongings that had fallen when I had shot my first punch at Lovino, I hesitantly walked towards Feliciano, feeling my stomach beginning to churn with nervousness as Gilbert's words came flooding back into my mind again.

"_You have to _prove_ to him you're that dude, West! He won't believe you if you just _tell_ him! And kissing him isn't going to help either!"_

"Feliciano…" Before I could finish though, the teen squeaked, retreating off into the opposite direction to avoid speaking to me, and I could only sigh at his fear. "Thank you…"

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><p>That day at lunch, I found myself sitting alone as I occasionally shot several glances at the table holding all of my friends, which included Feliciano, who obviously didn't want to be associated with me. I had placed a small bandage on my cheek to cover up the wound, yet every once in a while I'd feel it throbbing against my head in pain. Gilbert had been keeping his distance from his table as well, with Lovino sitting there with the two other boys, and he had eventually migrated from there over to me.<p>

Neither of us spoke, only focused on eating and thinking, and as I gazed up again at the petite Italian's sorrowful eyes and face, my brother spoke up. "Still haven't done it, have you?"

Turning to him, I shook my head. "I haven't gotten the chance to yet. Lovino and I got into a fight after first period, and he came and helped stop it. When I tried to talk to him, he just…ran off…"

"I heard; that's why Lovino is banning me from going over there anymore. Don't worry, West, you'll find the right time to say it. And when you do, everything will go back to normal and he'll be your little boyfriend again; works every time!"

I smacked him on the arm, causing him to curse quietly, and I scowled at him as he rubbed his arm. "We weren't a couple in the first place, Gilbert, you know that. It's not going to work, you know." I told him with a sigh, turning my gaze back on Feliciano, who was now talking to a rather dumbstruck Alfred.

"Sure it will; Feliciano's naïve, he'll do anything you tell him to if you bribe him!" Gilbert beamed.

"_You're _naïve, Gilbert, and I'm not going to use him like that. That's the last thing I want to do if I…want to get us back together…"

"Ah, so you _were _both dating!"

That comment earned him another hit to the arm, and he scowled and me and pouted away. I shouldn't have been listening to him, anyway; despite him being older, Gilbert was defiantly not the wiser of us two…

As our lunch time passed and I found myself with an unusually full belly of sausage, as I never had time eat my lunch before with Feliciano constantly talking to me, I looked up only to find my old lunch group standing in front of me with confusion and anger hidden in each of their eyes. Everyone, except for the Italian, who had slinked away off to his next class. I was surprised he was doing so feel with avoiding me.

After a few moments of awkward silence with their eyes averted and only a few locked on mine, it was Alfred who spoke up. Yet instead of that normally, cheerful tone he had in his voice, this time it sounded much darker with irritation. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you, Ludwig? You just upright _abandon _Feli like that? Dude, totally not cool! I'm the hero, I should know!" He snarled, with Arthur smacking my on the back of his head with him hissing at the American to hush.

"What he means, Ludwig, is why did you do that to Feliciano? I mean, we know he can get a little annoying at times but…why? He…told us everything, you know…" Arthur said, his voice much more mellow and calm than his friend's, with his arms crossed.

All eyes were on me, including Kiku who looked rather pitied for me, and I could only sigh as there was no way to get out of it. Feliciano wasn't the least bit hesitant when he was tell something, and apparently this time, he was a straightforward as ever towards the group.

"I…I don't know. I just…Something came over me; I don't know quite what it was, but it was just the last straw…I couldn't take it anymore! I-It's kind of difficult to explain, but…I guess I just got fed up with his constant ranting about Holy Rome…" I told them shamefully.

"So you have to _lie _to him and totally crush him like that? Bro; dude, that's not right!"

"Alfred, just shut the bloody hell up and let him finish!" Arthur cried angrily, shooting a dark look at the teen standing next to him he whacked him up-side the head once more.

With that, I nodded as if to say thanks to him, and continued. "I…I just can't explain it. I didn't want to hurt him at all; I honestly didn't! I'm just so sorry I did…I didn't want to, but…I guess my rage took over. It's difficult for any of you to understand right now, but you know that feeling you get where you love someone so much you hate them? That's what I felt…" I confessed, shifting my eyes to the ground to avoid the glare the American was giving me.

As awkward silence set in, and nobody even dared to speak, it was Elizabeta who quietly spoke up. "Hey guys, I'm going to talk to Ludwig for a little bit. I know more than you guys do. Just head back up to the school; I'll handle this." She said, making her way through the crowd.

"Why, to tell him what a _dumbass_ he is?"

"Alright, that's it; Kiku, _you're_ handling Alfred from now on!" The Briton spat, stomping away in irritation as the soft-spoken Japanese teen timidly tried to reason with an even angrier Alfred, who followed Arthur's lead.

Roderich was the only one who had stayed now, and he gently tried to talk to his girlfriend. "Elizabeta…you're sure you-"

"It's ok, Roderich; I need to talk to him alone. I know more about this than any of you guys do; much more than what Feliciano told us, and I think It's only best that I do this alone so that there's no more conflict, ok?" She said sweetly, cutting him off and giving him a sincere smile before leaning up to give him a quick peck on the cheek for forgiveness.

With a hesitant sigh, the Austrian nodded, walking away slowly towards the building as he left his girlfriend and me to talk.

Elizabeta took a seat next to me, drumming her fingers awkwardly on the table as she gathered her words, and I continued to look to the ground.

"He…told us, everything, Ludwig. About what you said last night, about you trying to convince him you were Holy Roman Empire, and about your kiss. That much, huh?" She said, and I could see from the corner of my eye the stubborn smile tugging at her lips when she had mentioned our kiss.

I sighed, never daring to look her in the eye. "There aren't enough words in the world to describe it, Elizabeta. I've never had much experience with romance, and now…gah, I just feel so stupid! I loved him; _so much_, but now he thinks I'm a liar and an inconsiderate bastard. Gilbert has tried helping me, but…well, you know how he is…" I admitted, my cheeks cranking up a deeper shade of pink with every sentence that had passed.

The girl nodded in understanding, letting a minute of silence pass before finally speaking again. "It…wasn't a lie, was it…?"

And I knew exactly what she meant by that as I shook my head. "No; I really am the Holy Roman Empire. And I have proof of it too; even my brother says it's true! Feliciano's just…he's in so much denial that he won't even try to accept it. Once things cool down between us, then I'll try to reason with him again."

More silence.

"…It's the eyes that make you love him so much, isn't it?" Elizabeta mentioned, a smirk crossing her face as she averted her eyes as well.

This time, I turned to her, a faint shade of scarlet already stained onto my face at her words. "What?"

"I've seen you eyeing them, Ludwig. Not just Feliciano, but his eyes mostly. Roderich can see it, too. I've asked Feliciano what he thinks of you and…well, heh, he told me you have the prettiest eyes he's ever seen." With a look of sympathy and a smile, she turned to me, and for once I saw the slightest glimmer of hope shine down on me as if God were giving me a second chance.

"R-Really?"

The Hungarian nodded, satisfied blush spreading across her cheeks. "Yep. Of course, this was a while ago, but I've talk to him today also, and he's pretty bummed about you. He said hasn't been able to get your guy's kiss out of his head. He misses you a lot, Ludwig; I can tell."

At that, I felt the slightest smile begin to creep onto my face, fiddling happily with the leaves that had floated down from the trees and landed onto the table. "I'm glad I'm not the only one…But, how do I know you're not just making all of this stuff up?

Elizabeta chuckled lightly. "Honestly, Ludwig, I'm not like your brother; I wouldn't tell a lie to my friend just to satisfy them. Besides, when it come to _you two _together, do you _seriously _think I would lie about _that_?"

I chuckled along with her, giving her a rare smile as I realized she was right. Elizabeta was trust-worthy; not somebody who would use you just to satisfy herself. And for the first time, I finally felt a wave of comfort and trust wash over me, and I knew my secret was going to stay safe for a little while longer.

"Thank you, Elizabeta; you're work here has been helpful." I praised.

She giggled at this, waving it off as her rested her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. "It's no problem at all; seriously! But~…I gotta know…what was your kiss like? Was it awesome; was it terrible? Dammit, I left my notebook inside my locker! Oh well, I'll write it down out of memory!"

_Yep…now she's back…_

"I…think that's going a little too personal, Elizabeta…" I told her, awkward trying to avoid describing any kind of feeling I had during the kiss. After all, it was nearly indescribable.

"Oops, sorry, I guess I got a little carried away. But you two are just so CUTE I can't stand it!" She squealed, hopping lightly and happily to herself as she gushed over Feliciano and my..."relationship".

Yet during it all, it was Gilbert who came in to break the uneasy tension that surrounded me.

"Hey Elizabeta, what are you doing here?" He asked her, standing next to me.

Elizabeta turned to him, her celebration suddenly getting cut off as she reached for the mini frying pan hidden in her back pocket. "Gilbert, if you're just going to hit on me again, I'm going to smack you. And you don't want that to happen in front of your little brother, do you~?" She threatened, bracing for action as Gilbert waved his hands in front of his face.

"No no, I wasn't going to do _that_, I just…wanted to say that you so nice today, heh heh." He said, a grin and faint blush finding its way onto his face as he had obviously only did this to impress her.

The Hungarian didn't seem too excited, as she tapped her foot against the gound before pulling out the pan and smashing it against my brother's head as he stumbled to the ground.

"Like I've said before, Gilbert, I already _have _a boyfriend, so your flirting isn't going to do much to convince me to leave him for you." She said with a apathetic scowl marked onto her face. With that, she immediately turned bubbly again, giggling as she walked away to find Roderich.

I found myself snickering as Gilbert lay on the ground groaning and rubbing the back of his head in pain, and seeing this, he shot a dark glare up at me in anger.

"Word of the wise, West; stick with the guys…"

At that, he fell back down was an over-exaggerated groan as I continued to chuckle at him.

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><p>The grandfather clock sitting in our dining room that night was only making it more difficult for me to concentrate as I continued that never-ending battle to finish my essay for English. Our papers weren't due until Thursday, and even though it was only Monday, I wasn't going to take my chances procrastinating until the last minute and ending up without a topic still.<p>

As my pencil grazed over the paper, just anticipating the long wait it had to finally write just one word onto that sheet of paper, I replayed everything Gilbert had told me that day in my mind once more.

"_My point is that you just have to tell him how much you miss him; tell him how you really feel! If you keep going around moping like this, that little Italian is going to hate you forever!"_,

"_You have to _prove _to him you're that dude, West! He won't believe you if you just _tell_ him! And kissing him isn't going to help either!"_

"_All you have to do is just admit your absolute true feelings to somebody by _proving_ it to them! One crappy kiss isn't going to do anything; you have to go _deeper_! It's the only way it'll work!"_

Just then, as everything that had flowed through my mind began to connect, every word Gilbert had said finally began to make sense. He may not have been the smartest tack in the box on a regular basis, but right now, this was the greatest advice he could have ever given me.

I knew what I was going to write my paper about.

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><p>ONE. CHAPTER. LEFT. Gah, I'm going to miss writing this so much~! D: But, it's the same situation with 'Apocalypse of an Empire'; I'm sad because I've had so much fun, and happy because now I get to focus more on my other stories and my new ones soon to come.<p>

Anyway, I'm very pleased with how this chapter turned out, because since I virtually had none of it planned out, it turned out to be a good little improv! ...Plus Prussia is EXTREMELY fun to write...XD Also, this was probably the fastest chapter I've gotten out so far I think, because I literally started it late last night, and finished it today. ...TIME. WELL. SPENT! :D

Thanks so much for the reviews so far, and I hope to get out the last chapter soon! I don't know, though~, maybe I won't just to torture you all for reviews~. (I kid, I'll get it out soon. But seriously...reviews are my inspiration to write and finish the chapters~. :))


	10. Chapter 10: The Truth of Lies

YES. *FINALLY* AFTER WAITING FOR FORFREAKING*EVER*, MY LAPTOP IS WORKING PROPERLY AGAIN! :D Yes, that's the main reason why this is so late getting out; because my laptop crashed four times last week and I didn't have it with me to type. LORD I have never missed this story so much in my life! D:

Anyway…OK PEOPLE. PREPARE FOR THE BIGGEST. OOCNESS. IN LUDWIG'S ESSAY. EVER. JUST SAYIN'. This entire chapter is EXTREMELY cliché, which is a little heads up to all you people out there who can't take the cheesiness. ;)

Thanks for the reviews, faves, subscribes, and ENJOY AND R&R THE LAST CHAPTER OF 'ALL BARRIERS BROKEN'! :D

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Axis Powers: Hetalia.**

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><p>I'd never faced such anxiety before in my life as my stomach twisted violently into knots sitting restlessly at my desk in English. The time seemed to fly by so fast, where one moment it was Monday night when I was still writing my essay, and then the next moment it had suddenly turned to Thursday morning just before our lunch hour. And did I have a good enough reason to be unnaturally nervous for today.<p>

The sharp tick of the clock felt agonizing in my throbbing ears, and with every minute that passed in the hour we had in class, I grew more and more nervous. Eventually, Mr. Germania would have to call my name, and when that happened, everything that had gone wrong and right this past week would have to be spilled in front of a class of thirty of my peers. One of which included Feliciano Vargas…

As I sat there, I repetitively memorized each sentence that I had written onto the paper the few mere nights before. Class hadn't even started yet, yet I couldn't help but still be incredibly nervous at faltering and crumbling into dust as I read it out loud in front of the class. No mistakes; no errors; everything had to be absolutely perfect if I wanted to make this right again. Yet even after reading it over for the third time that morning, even letting _Gilbert _read it, it still wasn't good enough. _Nothing _would ever be good enough for the Italian…

I drummed my fingers nervously on the desk, and Mr. Germania obviously saw through this nervousness as he walked towards my desk.

"Ludwig, you seem more nervous than usual. Everything alright?" He asked, his voice that same mellow, apathetic tone it always was.

I sighed, nodded lightly. "Ja, it's just…my essay…"

"Ah, so I see you came up with a topic, huh? You seem to be a good public speaker; it should be no problem."

"I am, it's…it's just the topic I'm worried about…" I muttered, averting my eyes to the floor with that stubborn blush returning as my mind wandered to the words I had written in that essay. The secrets…the confessions…Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all…

Mr. Germania stayed silent for a moment, thinking, before finally coming to realization at exactly what I was talking about. "Oh, I see. I'm sure all will go well; you have Gilbert and I to back you up." He told me, leaning down to whisper something into my ear. "Besides, I don't think Feliciano will mind much either."

I winced at his words, remembering he had virtually no idea about what had happened the week before. Unless of course, the rumors and facts spread around more quickly than I thought they had, or the English teacher was just highly skilled in reading the atmosphere. After all, he saw through both the Italian _and _I in the first week of school…

"I don't know, Mr. Germania, we…kind of got into a little fight last week, and now both of us refuse to speak to each other. Same goes for the others…" I whispered, sighing hard as I rested my head on the table. If Feliciano was still bitter, he would most certainly _not_ be ok with this; and I'd only be making a bigger fool of myself.

"Oh, don't worry; I had already known on Monday. Things go around fast here, you know. But Ludwig, just trust that Feliciano will accept you, and everything will go smoothly." He said whole-heartedly, giving me a rare smile that he never seemed to show, and walked back over to his desk.

Maybe that man was right; maybe I did just need to trust in myself that everything would go smoothly. Yet for once, I was uneasy about discussing the situation, and in front of a whole class…it just honestly didn't make sense. But, getting an actual grade with the back-up and sympathy from my teacher instead of a failing one was better than nothing…

The bell rang, and I felt my stomach drop hard as the students scrambled around to take their seats. Feliciano walked in shyly, something unusual for him, with auburn bangs covering his eyes as he slithered around the desks and into his seat quickly. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the dried tear stains streaming down his cheeks, and dark circles surrounding the rim of his eye. He'd been crying…

Yet I was in for even more of a shock when he raised his head, revealing the face he'd obviously been trying to hide. Surrounding his left eye lay a deep, purple circle, swollen to the point where it was nearly squinted, and both eyes were blood-shut with him having cried so much. A trail of unwashed dried blood slid down the corner of his face, and the color of his normally tanned skin was a sickening ghostly pale.

For the first time, I had never been more concerned for Feliciano on the mere month I had known him.

I wanted to badly to ask him what happened; to make sure he was completely fine and there was nothing to worry about with him; it was just a little stumble, perhaps. But something in the back of my mind told me Lovino had something to do with this...

"Alright, class today we'll be presenting your…Feliciano? Is everything alright…?" Mr. Germania said, turning from composed to concerned as he glanced over at Feliciano's beaten face.

The Italian jumped slightly, looking away from him in an obvious, strange nervousness, and it looked as if he were shaking.

"What, ve, oh, um…no, I-I'm fine…" He stuttered, looking to the ground as all eyes turned on him.

"Do you…want to go to the nurse?"

"O-Oh, no, I-I'm ok. I just accidently tripped on my way out this morning, i-it's no big deal…"

With that, he let out a soft, uneasy ve before diving for him books in his backpack to hide his face. I could see through the strands of auburn hair the covered his face that it was for good reason; for he was on the verge to breaking out into tears.

_So…so badly…_

Mr. Germania, recomposing himself now, clearing his throat and continued to speak. "As I was saying, you all will be presenting your essays today about what you love."

The majority of the class groaned at his words, some even mumbling about how they forgot to do it, while some just smiled and organized their papers. Me; I was a nervous wreck; something unusual for me when it came to giving speeches. But never in my life had I ever been in a situation like this…

My stomach churned at his words, twisting violently with nervousness as I knew at one point in the hour I'd be completely confessing my love for Feliciano. Our English teacher must have seen through this nervousness in me as he gave me a reassuring nod and continued. "Now, since I know most of you are going to be hesitant going first, I'm just going to chose who goes this time."

More groans were heard, a few students around me muttering how badly they didn't want to go, and others waving their hands frantically in the air to present. Instead of doing either, I averted my eyes to the floor and rested my head on my arms, hoping he wouldn't notice me.

Yet luck apparently wasn't in my favor, as looking up from his class role list, Mr. Germania looked at me and gave another rare smile. "Ludwig; you're first on the list, so I guess you're going to be presenting first today." He said, this time not a hint of apathy hidden in that dull voice.

Pale skin drained even paler, and I shakily nodded my head as I got up slowly and made my way towards the front of the room. I had taken my backpack with me, dropping it to my side as it had everything I need to make this presentation as good as it could get. The proof I needed for such a topic…

_Damn last name, always being first on the list_... I thought, unsatisfied as I stood in front of what seemed like a thousand curious pairs of eyes, one of which was not Feliciano's. But if there was anything that was going to keep me from stuttering and falling over my words, it defiantly wasn't those pair of amber eyes I knew so well.

With a long sigh and an anxious glance towards Mr. Germania, he nodded in approval, and I turned my gaze back onto the class. All was silent, and with one shaky breath, words soon began to pour out from my mouth, and I knew there was no going back.

_I have to get this right the first time…_

"Never in my life had I experienced such a feeling of love that I had so blatantly denied, when the entire time it was standing right in front of my eyes. It was a new feeling to me; foreign you could call it, yet it all started and all came running back to me with a simple pair of brown eyes." I started, looking up from my paper as all eyes were on me. Elizabeta let out a small squeak from the back of the room, apparently catching where this was going, and I turned my gaze over to Feliciano now. He raised his head slightly, eyes saddened, and murmured a soft ve as he had caught my topic as well.

With a faint smile at his expression, I continued, still praying in the back of my mind for this to be completely flawless. "I never knew it at the time, but those wondrous, shining brown eyes would soon lead me to discover not only my denial, but also the hidden secrets of my past that had been locked away from me. The secrets of _our _past, as those eyes were familiar, and I knew from the start I had seen them before. But without a trace of any memory from the age of seven, the pieces of the puzzle became difficult to place together, but all those lost memories soon came back to me with the simple gesture of kindness and the longing for friendship.

"As a child, I was nearly the same as I am today; denying, stubborn, and wanting nothing to do with love. I wore a little black hat and cape, as if I had used it to hid my true self under it. I blanked out these feelings; hid them away, but my beating heart only sped up faster every time that lovely Italian girl I saw every day was around me. She was sweet; a little maid at that, and was always so attached to me despite being afraid. Yet her fear of me only came because I caused it; because I was so afraid of admitting how special and important she was to me until the day of our farewell came. She had given me the small broom she had used to sweep the house with, and in return I gave her a goodbye kiss as I left for Germany. Yet it wasn't our _final _farewell, as those pretty brown eyes she had soon came to me again, only in a different way. Actually, in a _completely _different way."

Feliciano was at full alert now, watching me as his other classmates did the same, and I noticed a single tear welled up in the corner of his left eye, and once again he let out a small ve. The Italian's eyes were sad but curious, and I could tell he knew exactly what I was talking about.

"Those eyes appeared again on not that sweet Italian maid I used to know, but on somebody completely different; a male at that. And this boy…This hyper, loud, cowardly boy…soon came to me as not only the friend I never wanted, but those denied feelings I had so long ago. I rejected his affection; pushed it away as I was so afraid for my own well-being, but soon learned that I _needed _him, and he was the most important thing to me I had ever had. Why? Because _he _was that little maid I had fallen so much in love with so many years ago…And that same feeling came up again the second I had first lay my eyes on his kind brown eyes.

"Of course I was unaware he was that little girl; I'd lost all my memories before! But those memories soon came back the night I made a mistake I'd soon regret…I abandoned out friendship; the strong friendship we had formed in so little time. I knew he'd never take it easily, but was I in for a surprise that night when I listened to his hurt cries over the phone as I just sat there in guilt. It wasn't ten minutes later when my anger took over me, and I soon stumbled across that small black hat I had worn so long ago…and the small broom the maid used to use…Entitled a gift from Feliciano Vargas…"

Looking back up again, I watched as a silent stream of tears spilled out from Feliciano's eyes, as he murmured what looked like "Holy Rome" under his breath. The Italian's eyes still stayed saddened, yet it wasn't the same look he had given me the week before as he stood outside of me house. It was a look of happiness…

I smiled in realization of that, turning back over to Elizabeta who was having a complete happy-meltdown in the back of the room. Her face lay completely covered in red, and she squealed to herself as several kids turned to her with concerned looks.

With that same smile on my face, I continued once more. "From my brother's information, after moving to Germany as a child, I was apparently left unconscious on the side of the road near Berlin, and as an orphan now, he took me under his wing and raised me with my adoptive parents. With such a hard take to the head, all of the memories I had before that had been wiped out, but it wasn't until I met that maid again that they would all come back to me. Of course, he never believed me though, and even the proof of my love couldn't convince him I was the real deal. So now…I have that proof.

I reached down into the backpack next to my side, pulling out the antique hat and cape, along with the push-broom Feliciano had given me as children. "These were the things I wore and received so long ago; the little black hat and cape and the broom that maid I loved gave me the day of our farewell. On the side, here, it says "To my love, Holy Roman Empire. From: Feliciano Vargas." That's all I needed to see to know that the little Italian girl I was so in love with was actually in front of me the entire time…

Feliciano, tears now cascading down his cheeks, was awestruck; whispering "Holy Rome" repeatedly under his breath as he began to cup his hands over his mouth.

Nonetheless, I continued. "And that's why I've chosen this as my topic of what I love for this essay. He'll never know how sorry I am for the mistakes I've made, and how thankful I am to have found him again. Yet it wasn't really even the clues that had led me to find Feliciano again. It was his lovely brown eyes that had kept me coming back for more."

I let out a long sigh of relief in my mind, looking up at the class as they only started in silence. My smile faded at their reaction, and I shamefully lowered my paper down along with the items I had brought as my proof. It wasn't until I heard the slow claps that had soon turned into a roaring applause that my smiled soon returned to my face. Elizabeta was almost jumping up and down in euphoria, her face stained happy scarlet as she gave me a thumbs up. Others gave out wolf-whistles, and some only clapped and smiled. The only one in the room who stayed completely silent and frozen was none other than Feliciano; his face running with tears and tear stains and he looked at me in utter awe.

I could only continue to smile, handing in my paper to Mr. Germania as the class continued to clap for me.

"Well done, my grandson." Mr. Germania whispered into my ear, obviously getting the message as well as he had remarked before about his grandson. And now he knew that I was the boy he had lost so long ago.

I nodded, taking in the smile he had on his face, this time completely full. The applause had faded by the time I had made my way back to my seat, and as the cycle of presentations started all over again, I could only smile at what I heard when I walked past Feliciano's seat.

"H-Holy Rome…y-you are H-Holy Rome…"

* * *

><p>"Ve…Ludwig, c-can we walk home together today…?" Feliciano asked timidly as he walked towards me, a hint of pink painted across the bridge of his nose.<p>

I stuffed another book into my locker, turning to him, and taking the nervous look that was written all over his face. Yet nonetheless, I nodded.

"Sure, Feliciano…We can walk home together. But what is this all about; I thought you hated me now?" I asked him, grabbing my backpack and slinging it over my shoulder. I knew well know what this was all about, and I could tell why he was so nervous about it. Yet what I didn't understand was why he was doing it now after I had even my presentation only a few mere hours ago?

"Ve, good! We should start going then…I think it might rain soon…"

"Ja…that sounds good…"

And with that, we made our way out the doors of the school, down the familiar path that led to Feliciano and Lovino's home. Yet from what I saw out of the corner of my eye as we made our way through the parking lot, the older brother of the Vargas family was climbing into that same Spanish boy's car; the one I had saw on the first day.

"Feliciano, why is your brother getting in that guy's car?" I asked him, and he turned to look at his what-seemed-like irritated brother climbing into the passenger's seat of the Spaniard's car.

"Oh, that's just Antonio. Fratello got his car keys taken away last night, so Antonio is going to be driving him around for the time being…" He explained, uneasiness making its way into his down as he shifted his eyes nervously to the ground.

I nodded. "I see…but what did Lovino do to get his keys taken away?"

Feliciano made a small, nearly inaudible squeak, and looking down I noticed his hands beginning to shake.

"I-It's nothing, y-you don't need to worry about it…" The Italian replied frantically, acting a little more jumpy than usual. There was defiantly something going on with him; something Lovino was involved in, too. I just didn't know what.

As time passed, and we walked further down the sidewalk in silence, I noticed Feliciano being more usually quiet than normal. Clouds raged above us, sensing a storm was coming very soon, with thunder booming loudly through the air.

Every once in a while I glance would down at him, auburn bangs hiding his eyes with his fists shoved into his pockets, and that's when I knew there was something defiantly wrong that he was hiding from me.

Taking in a deep breath, I finally gathered up the courage to ask the question I'd been wondering since the beginning of English class. "Feliciano…I've been meaning to ask you something…Why is your face so badly beaten up? It wasn't like that before today…"

There was no response; only a faint squeak coming from the Italian's mouth, and an uneasy tension immediately beginning to radiate from him. With his bangs covering his eyes, I was unable to read them for an answer, but all I knew just from his response to that meant it couldn't be good at all. "Well…what is it…?"

"…Fratello beat me up last night…in our room…" Feliciano finally managed to let out after a few more seconds passed by, only speaking in a mere whisper as he didn't even dare to look me in the eye.

My eyes grew wide at that, staring at him in shock as the teen continued to look down. "What…? But why would he do something like that?" I asked him, still awestruck at the fact Lovino would do such a thing to an innocent being like Feliciano; especially his own brother.

The Italian stayed quiet for a minute; until I actually had to remind him again, and when he spoke it only managed to come out in a soft murmur. "I don't know…"

It wasn't like Feliciano to be like this after a little fight with Lovino; the two fought all the time! There was something else bother him, yet he just wouldn't tell me what it was. And for once, the façade he had put up actually worked as I had not a clue about what was going on with him.

The teen continued to keep his head down, silent, and I could have sworn at one point I saw a light tear trickle down his face from the corner of my eye. With this eerie, thick silence hanging in the air through the tension surrounding us, it wasn't just that that convinced me to break the silence, but more of my rising concern.

"Feliciano…-"

Suddenly, and before I could even attempt to reason with him, there was a sudden grip holding onto my wrist, and I looked only to find Feliciano leading me in the opposite direction to the Vargas's house.

_What the hell is_ _going on with him today?_

"Feliciano, what are you doing; your house is that way!" I said, my voice raising as I tried to get his attention, yet all failed as he refused to speak. "Feliciano, answer me!"

There was still no response; he only continued to keep walking and gripping onto my arm, never looking back, and a dark scowl pasted onto his face. It was the first I had ever seen on that cheerful soul's face…And for another time over, I was worried for his well being of going onto the brink on insanity…

Just as he had led me through a grove of trees and into a small section of vivid autumn forestry, a small drop of rain plopped onto the drop of my head, then another, and soon a dozen drops of warm liquid were cascading down from the sky and onto the ground. The gel I'd used to pull back my bangs had soon washed away, and I found long strands of damp blonde hair hanging over my forehead.

Feliciano had eventually stopped just inside of the rim of the forest, the leaves of the trees acting as an umbrella for us, and occasional drops of rain fell onto our heads, and our bangs nearly covered our eyes. The latter continued to stay silent, his eyes averted and his head faced down, and from the rain I couldn't tell if he was crying of not. Yet after a few more seconds of standing in silence with the soft pitter-patter of rain being the only mere sound, I found it was only necessary to speak up to keep things from getting even more awkward.

"Feliciano…What. Is going. On." I snapped, angry now standing in the pouring rain, yet he continued to stay mute. "Answer me, damn it! Just tell me why you've been acting so weird lately!" No response. "_Feliciano_!"

"Ludwig!" He snapped back, this time in an act of misery, and those amber eyes immediately turned sadden as tears leaked from his year. A light sob escaped from his mouth, and looking up at me, an almost embarrassed shade of pink had made its way to his cheeks. "Lud…wig…"

"Feliciano, what is it? Just tell me!"

With that, he looked away again, another sob let out from his mouth, before suddenly flinging his arms around me into a tackle-hug. "Ludwig!"

Yet that wasn't the only thing he had done. Before I knew it, a pair of lips had crashed into mine, and with eyes wide and looking down, I found it to be non-other than the shorter Italian holding onto me as he kissed almost forcefully it felt. I stood there in shook, a vicious shade of scarlet blush stained all the way to the bridge of my nose, yet after as few more seconds, I found my eyelids slowly folding closed as I kissed back. The teen's arms were wrapped around my neck as I claimed his waist, pulling him closer as he pressed my head down, and soon enough I found myself leaning onto the tree we were standing under.

Not even the booming sound of thunder could have broken us apart, as more rain began trickling down our faces and he cried, keeping the kiss simple and chaste, yet forceful as well.

Soon enough though, Feliciano had broken apart, burying his face in my chest as the latter sobbed, and I held onto him to help with the sympathy he needed.

"Ludwig…I-I love you…" He whispered in between sobs, giving me a quick peck on the lips before hugging me once more, gripping onto my shirt tightly as I cried. "I do…I-I really do love you so much! I'm so sorry; I don't know why I thought I hated you, Ludwig! Ludwig is kind to me and cares about me, and you proved that today! I believe you now…L-Ludwig really is Holy Rome…"

I was at loss of words, my face nearly on fire with the rain hardly cooling it down, and all I could do was hold onto him and repeat his name over and over again. "Feliciano…Feliciano, yes…" By that time, we had slid down onto the ground, the petite Italian still holding onto me as I shushed him. "It's ok…"

"No, n-no it's not. I treated Ludwig so badly…I-I'm a horrible person…"

I pressed my lips against the top of his head gently, stroking his hair and shushing him for comfort. "No; no you're not, Feliciano. I'm at fault here since I was the one who did it in the first place…" I whispered softly, tipping his chin to look at me as a faint smile made its way onto my face before giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. "I love you, Feliciano. More than you could have ever imagined in our past…"

And with that, the latter rested his head onto my shoulder, sobbing lightly, and we stayed like that for the remainder of the afternoon.

* * *

><p>"Dammit, West!" was the only thing I heard when I awoke later that afternoon, jumping slightly at the sudden startle, and gazing around groggily I found myself still sitting under the tree Feliciano had led me to. The teen was curled up in my lap, sleeping contently, and I smiled before kissing him gingerly on the forehead.<p>

He groaned slightly, rubbing his eyes before fluttering them open and exposing the blood-shut brown from when he had been crying so much. Nonetheless, though, I still found them as beautiful as they had been before, and he smiled to find himself in my arms and gazed around just as I had. "Ludwig…where are we? Who was that yelling?" He asked, yawning before falling back onto my chest.

"We're still in the forest; apparently we fell asleep. I think that's Bruder calling…"

Sure enough, and at perfect timing, Gilbert pushed through the grove of trees, huffing and puffing as he had been running, and gave me a dark glare "West, where the hell have you been? We've been looking high and low for you all afternoon; Lovino is practically going ballistic with Feli gone!" He spat, looking down at us before crimson eyes grew wide, and a devious smirk crept across his face. "Wait a minute…Is that…Feli…?" He asked, raising and eyebrow and crossing his arms.

I gave him just as dark as a glare, with a light shade of blush sprinkling across my cheeks at the embarrassing position the two of us were in right now. "Gilbert, leave."

"Oh~, I see! You wanna finish up, don'tcha? Well go ahead; I won't look."

"_GILBERT!_" I yelled, immediately going red at his words, and an oblivious and sleepy Feliciano only rubbed his eyes and questioned.

"Ve~, Ludwig, what is he talking about?" He asked, tipping his head to the side.

"Erm, nothing Feliciano…let's just get you home…" I responded, averting my eyes in the ground in embarrassment.

The latter thought for a moment, before suddenly turning frantic, and jumping off from my lap. "Oh no; I completely forgot fratello wanted me to be home early today because our parents are away! Ve~, Ludwig, I have to go!" He panicked, grabbing the drenched backpack he'd dropped onto the ground, and retreating towards the outside of the forest.

"I'll walk you home…" I sighed, before getting up as well, only to be stopped by the obnoxious teen I could only call my older brother.

"So~, did you and Feli have a good time? Kesesesese!" He snickered, earning a smack on the arm and glaring daggers from me, as I ran to catch up with the Italian already getting a fair head start.

Gilbert sighed contently, and while still in ear-shot, I heard him speak satisfied. "I knew I raised him well…"

* * *

><p>Dusk had already set in by the time Feliciano and I had already made it back to his and Lovino's home. The entire time we had walked, we walked hand in hand, both of our eyes averted to the ground, and I noticed from the corner of my eye that stubborn blush that had continued to return to his face, and a happy smile pasted contently on it as well.<p>

I was the same, hearing the soft ve's he had let out along the way, and as we stood at the front of their house, I found that familiar pain of leaving him suddenly returning as it shot through my body and he smiled at me.

"Ve~, thank you for walking home with me today, Ludwig. I also, uh, really liked your presentation for English today…" He murmured, shifting his eyes to the ground at that last sentence, and he giggled lightly.

I smiled. "It's the least I could do for you, Feliciano, after these past two weeks. And I meant every word of it I said." I told him, having the same reaction as blush that begun spreading rapidly across my face; even more as my palms turned sweaty as I held onto his soft tanned ones.

Then, after a few more seconds passed by, with one more happy "ve", Feliciano leaned up and quickly pressed his lips against mine in a chaste kiss, before breaking away and smiling satisfied.

"Feliciano, what was that for." I asked nearly playfully, that same serious tone I always had in my voice never fading, but I could tell he saw right through that as he continued to smile at me.

"In my house, it's a tradition to kiss somebody when you love them."

* * *

><p>Wow. After six fun, awesome months of working on this fic, I'm FINALLY done. Gosh I had so much fun working on this, and I thank all of you for the support you've given me throughout the months! I've really enjoyed writing this, and I can't wait to start on my new fics I have planned now! That last line Italy says it quite possibly the most cliché thing in this entire thing, but I've literally had that line planned out since I first started this in April. XD<p>

I'm sorry if it seems a little rushed towards the end; I was really tired when I wrote it late at night. But, oh well, I'm satisfied with the turn out! :D But DANG that essay turned out way more OCC than I thought it would be! Sorry; that was my bad.

Again, that you all SO MUCH for the reviews, faves, story alerts, subscribes, etcetera; I really appreciate all of the great reviews you all have given me. There's going to be a half-sequel to this called 'Fame' coming out soon, and it's going to be focused on Lithuania instead of Germany, but it will probably have a few little references to this story. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed, and please remember to review! :D


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